#shrunk broomstick

[lulublack90]

Prompt 5 - Joint

@jegulus-microfic March 5, Word count 435

Previous part First part

Regulus really wanted to get his hand on one of James’s mirrors. The spellwork was ingenious, and he wanted to figure out a way to recreate it. But right now they needed to get back to the castle. 

James was pulling him along faster than he was comfortable with, and he kept tripping. 

“Will you stop!” He growled, yanking his hand free from James’s. He was sweating so he wiped it from his face with his sleeve. 

“Love, I’m so sorry, but I have to get back to the castle and I can’t leave you in here.” James tried to grab Regulus’s hand again, but Regulus shuffled backwards. “Reg, love, please,” James begged. 

Regulus let out a huge sigh and rolled his eyes up to the treetops. 

“For a self-proclaimed prankster extraordinaire, you lot have the worst escape plans,” he scoffed, taking out a miniature broomstick from his inner pocket. James looked at it sceptically, but when Regulus resized it to its original size and swung a leg over it, his face broke into the biggest smile Regulus had ever seen.

It took them no time at all to race towards the castle. Regulus flew all the way up to the top of Gryffindor tower and, after hovering outside the window until James had managed to open it, flew straight in. 

“Well, that’s novel.” Remus sniggered from his bed. “Sirius is causing as much disruption as possible downstairs, so you might want to call him back up. James took the mirror out of his pocket and flicked it open.

“Padfoot, we’re back. You can come back up,”

“Blimey, that was quick,” Sirius’s voice panted through the mirror. 

“Is he running?” Regulus asked, taking in the redness of his brother’s usual porcelain features.

“Got to keep three steps ahead of old Filch,” Sirius replied before James could say anything. “Oh, and if McGonagall finds you before I get back, you were in the library and fell asleep.” Sirius suddenly stopped. “Oh, shit, got to go.” And the mirror selected James’s face again. 

“Any bets for how long his detention is this time?” Remus drawled as he stood up and stretched, more than one joint popping in protest. The sound made Regulus grimace, but he quickly schooled his face when Remus raised an eyebrow at him. 

He looked back to see what James was doing. He had the map out and was tracing the lines, looking for someone. 

“McGonagall’s on her way up, you need to go, love,” Regulus picked up his broom, kissed James and soared out of the open window, but he didn’t go far.  

Next part

[hogwartslegacyreactions2]

HLC REACT TO MC HAVING AN OUT OF CHARACTER OUTBURST

Requested by: @ma1egamer

MC had a bad week. The worst week. An awful horrible week. But they still smiled. No one could know what was broiling just beneath the surface. They were the cool popular kid at Hogwarts, they had a reputation. If they just kept up appearances until the end of the day, they could go out after classes and fight a few dark wizards. That would help them de-stress.

They were lost in thought when someone accidentally ran into them, knocking their bag off their arm and causing it to spill its contents all over the floor. One of their ink bottles smashed, staining what was a lengthy essay they had just completed the night before for astronomy.

MC lost their carefully collected shit. "WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING!? IF ITS NOT ONE THING, ITS ANOTHER!! EVERY! SINGLE! DAY! But, if we didn't have bad weeks, the good weeks would be so amazing." It was like someone flipped a switch. MC was entirely calm again while using their wand to clean up their stuff.

The hall was dead silent. The whole crowd of students and faculty watched MC pack themselves up and walk away smiling.

SEBASTIAN SALLOW: "Welp, I feel sorry for any dark wizards or goblins that cross MC's path today." This included himself. He steered clear.

OMINIS GAUNT: "What happened? Why did they shout like that? Are they okay?" He needs context. He's worried.

ANNE SALLOW: She avoids eye contact with anyone in the crowd. She doesn't know what's going on, don't look at her.

IMELDA REYES: "What, in the actual fuck, was that?"

NATSAI ONAI: She marches after MC. They clearly aren't okay and she wants to know what's up.

GARRETH WEASLEY: MC's outburst made him drop a jar of pickled slugs. Now he was having a bad day too. The smell was awful.

LEANDER PREWETT: "They're cracking under the pressure. Sad."

AMIT THAKKAR: He has shrunk away from the noise. He doesn't deal with that kind of energy very well and removes himself from the situation.

EVERETT CLOPTON: "Merlin's beard, and here I thought Kogawa had a temper."

POPPY SWEETING: "Yeesh, I knew MC had fangs but I've never seen them take it out on a random student. I wonder what's bothering them."

ELEAZAR FIG: "Oh dear." He shuffles through the crowd and shepherds MC away. "What was that about? Are you alright? Please, don't lie to me."

MATILDA WEASLEY: She bristled at MC's volume. She could take house points for that, but instead ask MC to come to her office. She wants a word.

CHIYO KOGAWA: "Move along, everyone. You all have places to be." She shoos the crowd and stops MC from leaving. "Let's talk. My office."

AESOP SHARP: He gets it. As far as anyone is concerned, he saw nothing.

ABRAHAM RONEN: He's immediately by MC's side, helping them with their books. "Can you spare a moment to chat?" He wants them to be actually okay.

MIRABEL GARLICK: She walks quickly to catch up with MC and hands them a colorful bloom. "Here...it's Worry's Blight. It'll help you feel calm. You seem to need some more than me today."

MUDIWA ONAI: She invites MC up for tea. A special blend and good conversation is what they needed.

BAI HOWIN: Everyone has a bad day. There was no confrontation about the items dropped, so she let it go.

DINAH HECAT: "You shouldn't be shouting the halls, MC. However, instead of taking points, I have an assignment for you." She gave them a small price of paper with a location. "This is an ashwinder camp I heard wind of in the Three Broomsticks. It's a big one. Use this information as you may."

CUTHBERT BINNS: He just ghosted on out of there. He had a lecture to prep.

SATYAVATI SHAH: "No shouting in the halls. That's five points, MC." She didn't notice the vein fit to burst on MC's neck when they just smiled back at her.

PHINEAS NIGELLUS BLACK: "Children. Always whining about how hard life is. They know nothing of the real troubles life can throw at you."

[wanou-dorm]

Mirror Madness - Punch

this was an Ask for @twstinginthewind but I couldnt Find the original Ask so finished the story after my Burnout.

… (your add fuel for The Mirror Madness Event it’s now dubbed the context is some mischievous fairies trapped Hoshi ina Mirror and Are now using Lunatic human State plus unique magics of other people trapped in the To cause Havoc , I guess he can Met with some of Shu’s Friends. )

Punch was walking around the streets of the small town between RSA , HSA and NRC and decided to Head to the Diner . But that when he he started to notice how Silent the Streets were especially for around Halloween . It was ominous with decorations blowing in the wind he saw trash cans t inipped over and wads of Paper rolled on to the ground. It was Definitely time for him to head back not, that the situation at Night Raven was any better but Punch didn’t know that .As Punch Turned around he heard Something

“ We’re you planning on Going somewhere. ”Punch jumped as a Shiver was Sent down his Spine before looking at who was Saying as Punch’s Eyes shrink at What he was Seeing, “ C-Cater?,Ace ? … “ Punch’s Eyes Widen looking at His Sisters Dormmates.

”W-Woah Scary .. those are some realistic Costumes “ .

They looked like Something kind weird flower like monsters with some visages of their human form like thier hair those were just petals Mimicking the real thing,Skin wrapped with red and Orange flower petals d , Glowing Yellow Eyes boring into his Soul as he Shook attempting slowly walk backwards.

Cater produced a clone as Punch bumped into it. Ace then summoned a Vine seemingly out of his Arm wrapping around the Young mans leg before dragging Punch over and flipping him upside down. Punch swinging like a Pendulum “ Oh, you’re not wearing a costume yet? My bad."

Punch's eyes shrunk as he Slowly realized he was in some Deep Trouble . Before he Heard a loud Scream from the Distance

“ OUTTA WAY YA OVERGROWN WEED , ! “

Punch Looked to see another group of Familiar looking Plant monster resembling Heartslabyul students be sent Flying by a Large Beam of light .

“ Marcus! Be Careful those are still students, You know. “ A boy with long Red hair Huffed as a Blonde on a broomstick Rounded the Corner as the Adrenaline of rushing through the Plant horde was still in him , the Two students were wearing the White and blue RSA uniform.

“ Don’t worry , Reiji ,that Spark only use a Quarter of the Magic stored in my mini Hakkero they should be fine.”

Reiji Frowned before Looking Down at Punch’s perils .“ Hey it’s another Night Raven kid who hasn’t been turned into a Minion by Riddle Or Vil “

Reiji Said “ And he’s Being Harrassed ,by two Plant guys.” Marcus said “ Hold on tight Reiji!? “

"MARCUS Wait?! “

but It was too late as Marcus Flew Full Speed towards Punch Grabbing him by the Collar at record Speed “ So Night Raven student You gotta name ?” Marcus ask holding his Hat down with one

“Um, Punch “

“ Well Punch I’m Reiji and this Blonde is Marcus “ Marcus Pick up Punch letting him take a seat on the broom .

“ We Were in the Diner with some other students when that Kid with the Spade on his Eye came Rushing into the place Talking about Riddle turned all the Heartslabyul Students into Plants and an inucubus version Vil took over RSA “

Punch’s heart Sunk,

“ All the Heartslabyul Students !? Was There a Girl with a ponytail ,Freckles,” Punch panicked

“ she looks like a Female version of me In Those Flowers people “Reiji looked at him

“No, Why is She Your sister of something “

“ She is Exactly that .”

“ Don't Worry I have a Gut Feeling well Cross paths eventually with her “ Marcus said “But Right now we need to keep Riddle from making this Island into a Flower garden.

“Let's find That Deuce guy again. “

[in-the-shadow-of-the-blog]

The Pains We Endure | Chapter Four

Masterlist | Ao3

Chapter Summary: Edith prepares for her dinner with Aesop, looking forward to the future for the first time in a while. When the evening doesn't go as planned, she's forced to make a decision that earns Aesop's disapproval. (Aesop Sharp x OC)

Chapter Rating: M (We're getting a little darker now)

Chapter Warnings: Use of unforgiveable curses (the full trifecta, but no gory details), death (non descriptive), allusions to abusive relationship

Word count: 5.2k

A/N: This is the longest chapter yet, and the last update until sometime in December. I really loved writing this one, I hope you enjoy! 4 of 6.

—

Fifteen minutes was twenty minutes too many to be late for an engagement, but Edith found she was quickly exceeding it. Peeves had chosen the worst evening to prove that ink bottles were not suitable for juggling, which made Edith and several students delayed in leaving the library.

Edith certainly couldn’t rush getting ready. She had always taken an appropriate amount of pride in her appearance, but tonight was special. Never in her life had Edith wanted to look nice for someone, but she felt that way now. Perhaps it was a challenge. Aesop’s respect was hard won, after all. Or perhaps she simply liked the way he looked at her, a subtle gleam in his eye.

“A little of both.” Edith muttered to herself as she peered at her reflection, taming a particularly stubborn lock of hair.

Once she had triumphed, Edith took one last assessing look in the mirror. She wore a blue dress, modest in design and a little behind the current fashions, but it suited her figure nicely. Edith owned little jewelry, but the simple silver stud earrings and ribbon necklace met her preferred amount of subtlety. Everything in place. Edith wondered for a moment if the silver comb, with its little metalwork flowers, was too much, but she decided it added just the right amount of sparkle to her black hair.

Checking her watch, Edith quickened her pace. She couldn’t bear to use floo flames, the idea of soiling her dress with soot enough to make her itch. Surely Aesop would forgive her tardiness when she explained what kept her.

A kaleidoscope of butterflies had made a home in her stomach. Edith had not done something like this in… Well, she had never done something like this. Courtship. Or was she reading too much into Aesop’s invitation? What if she did something wrong? Each step that brought her closer to her destination heightened her anxiety.

And yet, she felt excited at what tonight could be. Thoughts of the night he almost kissed her were almost enough to keep her warm in the chilly evening air. It was colder outside than she had realized, even once she entered the bustling village.

The Three Broomsticks was just coming into view when she heard it.

A voice that made her steps falter, her blood going cold. Fear froze her breath in her lungs.

“Ello, Edie.”

Edith slowly turned to face him. Until the last second, she could think she was mistaken. She could pretend it wasn’t true. But of course it was. He hadn’t changed at all in two years. His dark hair was a little longer, his cheeks a little thinner, but those hazel eyes still bore into her with a dark intensity. Instinctively, Edith shrunk back.

“Jasper.”

“Don’t make a scene, now. Walk with me.” Jasper took her arm, feigning the role of a suitor, and pulled her forward. Battling a wave of fear-induced dizziness, Edith stumbled before falling into step beside him.

“How did you find me?” Edith hated how her voice trembled in fear. Couldn’t she even pretend to be brave?

“Can’t hide from me, Edie.” He flashed her a sinister smile. “But you know what I want. Just give it to me, and I’ll leave you alone.”

Edith wrenched her arm away from Jasper. “No! I’m not telling you anything.”

He grabbed hold of Edith again, shushing her. Jasper pulled her into the shadows, trapping her against a wall. “What did I say about making a scene? You’re going to get yourself in trouble.”

Hardening her gaze, Edith met those cruel hazel eyes as they narrowed at her. “I-I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

Jasper drew his wand, holding it between them so it wasn’t obvious he was threatening her. “Then maybe I’ll remind you why you should be.”

—

Aesop was not overly concerned at fifteen minutes past the hour. Any number of things might have delayed Edith for such a short amount of time. At half the hour, he was sure she would be only a moment more, and ordered a firewhiskey before Sirona lost her patience.

With three quarters of the hour past, Aesop was not sure how to feel. Edith would not stand him up, he could not believe that. What if she had doubts? What if something serious had happened?

His pocket watch told him what Aesop accepted as the truth. It had been an hour, and Edith wasn’t coming. He drained the last of the firewhiskey and set the glass on the table with a thunk.

The sting of rejection and the uneasiness of concern warred within Aesop as he stepped into the chill night air. He was a man who always knew what his next move would be, but now he felt uncertain. Should he return to Hogwarts? Or take a walk through the village to clear his head and wait a little longer?

Aesop liked to think it was instinct, not wounded pride, that led him down the village lane to the right. Up past Zonko’s, which seemed intolerably cheerful to him tonight, ignoring the witches and wizards he passed going about their business.

As he reached Pippin's, Aesop paused, wondering if now might be a good time to discuss those ingredients for a cure. But it was getting late, and Aesop saw through the windows that he was closing up for the evening. The cold was getting to him, each step jarring the ache in his leg. Aesop just couldn't bring himself to go back yet.

He turned toward the bridge that spanned the creek running through the village. The moon was bright overhead, lighting up the cobblestones in front of him, the trees, the little house on the cliff.

That was when he saw her.

Edith stood at the edge of a cliff behind the Hog's Head, staring into the rocky water below. Aesop couldn’t see her face, but he could tell even from this distance that she looked pensive. She swayed in the chilly breeze, a breath away from pitching forward.

“Edith?”

She didn’t respond when he called out to her, and his tone shifted from confusion to alarm.

“Edith!”

The distance was short, but the terrain was difficult with his leg. He took a shortcut, clambering over the dilapidated stone wall between the bridge and the house, swearing when his limp almost caused him to pitch forward. Edith remained unmoving and silent when he called her name again.

A change seemed to come over her as Aesop finally reached her. Edith yelped in surprise, eyes widening in fear at the drop below, as if she didn’t know what she was doing there. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back from the edge. Aesop took her shoulders, prepared to ask her what the hell she was doing, when he heard a voice behind them.

“Might try staying out of things that aren’t your business. She was never going to fall, or jump, if you were worried.”

Aesop turned to the man, his argument dying on his lips. He recognized the face, only this time it was no boggart. Aesop drew his wand. “Stay back.”

“No need for that.” McNair looked around anxiously. “Edie and I have some business to discuss, don’t we, Edie?”

“I’m not telling you anything, so you might as well kill me.” Edith tried to put a bite in her voice, but it fell flat.

“That won’t do me any good, will it?” McNair demanded, stepping forward, wand raised.

Aesop stepped between them. The man was clearly volatile and not afraid to use unforgivable curses. McNair must have used imperio to get Edith to the cliff. He couldn’t rush this.

“Aesop, no,” Edith said behind him. “Please, just go.”

McNair looked at Aesop and laughed. “You make a new friend, Edie? He the best you can do? Well, maybe he’ll fare better than your last ones.”

“Expelliarmus!”

McNair deflected Aesop’s spell with a flick of his wand. “Call off your guard dog, Edie. Don’t want to make a habit of getting people killed.”

They were attracting attention now. Voices and pointing fingers directed to the three of them. Aesop saw McNair’s eyes shift as it put him on edge. Distracted him.

“Stupefy!”

Aesop’s spell would have hit true, but McNair disapparated in the knick of time. He turned to Edith. Her gaze was fixed on the spot where McNair had disappeared, mind somewhere else entirely. Edith shivered, but whether it was from the cold, fear, or a combination of both, he couldn’t tell.

He shrugged his coat off and draped it over her shoulders. Its green hues contrasted with her blue dress. Not that Aesop had an eye to notice such things.

The suddenness of the warmth, eclipsing the cold she felt within and without, brought Edith’s mind back to the here and now. Her heart raced and her fingers were numb, but Edith was suddenly aware of two conflicting, life-altering truths.

She looked up into Aesop’s inscrutable gaze. “Why is it you always appear when I need you?”

“Edith.” This time, his gaze did not soften when he spoke her name. “I think we should talk.”

With Aesop’s hand at her elbow, they made their way to the Three Broomsticks in silence. Edith hugged his coat closer. It smelled like him, and that was a comfort. It was a scent she wanted to commit to memory.

Once they settled in a corner, a cup of tea and a firewhiskey sitting between them, Aesop fixed her with a stare.

Edith studied the pattern of the wooden table, feeling his eyes on her. “Go ahead. Ask me.”

“This man clearly has some kind of hold over you. What did he mean by getting people killed?”

Taking a deep breath, Edith finally looked up and met his steely gaze. “This is not an easy story for me to tell, Aesop. But I think you deserve to know exactly what happened that night.”

Aesop settled in his chair, lifting the glass of firewhiskey. His stare remained fixed on her, giving her the whole of his attention. “Go on.”

A drink of tea for courage, and then a deep breath. “It all started when our friend Simon quit his job at the auror office. He had found this book, you see…”

—

June 15, 1887

Flames crackling in the hearth were the only source of light and sound in the little house. Hands shaking, Edith tied together bundles of herbs for drying, but her mind was not on her work. Edith's thoughts remained on her friends, and the strange book they were delivering to a trusted contact. How they put themselves in danger to make sure it did not fall into the wrong hands.

How she was useless with the kinds of magic that could help them. No, Edith's talents were with her enchantments and her plants and finding obscure knowledge in books, but she could never fight. Her housemates never let her forget that.

Four resounding cracks echoed in the room. Edith dropped the bundle in her hand with a start, sending herbs across the floor. She jumped up when she saw Finn, leaning heavily on Iris, his arm bent and bleeding.

Zara's authoritative voice cut through the air. “Is Jasper here?”

Edith shook her head, leaning in to look at Finn's arm. "I haven't seen him today."

“I knew it,” Zara growled. “Edith, I’ve told you for weeks, ever since I overheard him talking to that Malfoy fellow in the Leaky Cauldron. You can’t trust him!”

Zara hadn’t realized the impact her warnings had on Edith. She had noticed things about Jasper since Zara had pointed it out: the way he acted around them, the way he treated Edith when they were alone. It had culminated in an argument with him last night. Too little, too late, as they say.

"I know, I didn't-"

"He'll know we've come here to regroup," said Simon. "I'm sure he'll be here any minute and he won't be alone."

"We could go into hiding. The place we talked about last year." Zara glanced at everyone in turn.

They all knew the place in question. The location chosen to regroup if something went wrong. None of them would dare speak it aloud in case someone was listening, but they all nodded in understanding.

They all felt a shudder through the air. The wards Zara and Simon had placed on the house before they left were being attacked. It wouldn't be long now.

“Zara, take the others and go,” Simon said, his voice low. “I’ll hold them off.”

“Simon… no,” Zara pled.

“I’ll join you if I can. We can’t let anyone get the book, you know that.”

Zara looked between Simon, the others, and the door, then back to Simon. She kissed him twice, and touched her forehead to his. “I love you.”

Edith was gathering her apothecary box on the other side of the room. She couldn't leave without it, especially given the state of Finn's arm. Jars rattled, Edith's hands shaking as she hurriedly scooped up everything she could. She heard the other behind her, snatching up essentials they could apparate with.

"Bombarda!"

The door flew inward with a crash, dust and plaster pluming in the air. The tall, imposing presence of Jasper McNair filled the doorframe.

Until this moment, Edith hadn't had to admit to herself that she had been wrong. That she had been foolish and naïve. That she had put her friends in danger because of it. But now he stood there, a wicked smile on his face that he had never dared to wear in front of her before, and there was no more doubt. No more pretending. This was all her fault.

"Jasper, no!" she cried, pulling his attention from the others for a split second.

“Stupefy!”

Edith fell back against the wall as the spell hit her squarely on the chest. Her head spinning, she could just comprehend what occurred next, at the fringe of her senses.

Simon stood protectively in front of the other three, his wand pointed at Jasper. "Zara, now!"

“Sorry, Edith,” Zara muttered as she, Finn, and Iris disapparated.

Simon and Jasper traded spells, the lights bright in Edith's eyes as she slowly got to her feet. She fumbled for her wand.

"S-Stupefy!" The spell hit, but it did not flare with light like ones Jasper and Simon flung at each other.

Her fear would be her undoing.

The distraction it created was enough to give Simon a small opening, and he took advantage of it. He hit with another spell, knocking Jasper backward.

"Enough of this!" Jasper screamed. “Avada Kedavra!”

“Simon!” Edith screamed as the man fell to the floor with a thud.

Jasper stood and brushed himself off. He turned his stony gaze on Edith.

"Jasper... Why?" There were so many questions wrapped up in that one little word. It felt pointless to ask now.

Jasper chuckled. “You always thought you were so clever, Edie. But you were too easily molded. Bet you don't feel so clever now.”

Edith swallowed. Manipulated. Used. Lied to. She had wanted to be wanted so badly that she was blind to all of it.

He advanced toward her, smirking. “But then, you’d never suspect me. I said I love you, didn’t I?”

He stopped in front of her. “You’re such a silly girl, Edie.”

"It's over now, Jasper," Edith said, her voice shaking like the rest of her. "The book isn't here and the others are long gone now."

“But you know where they went. Why don’t you stop being silly, and just tell me where they took it.” He closed the distance, trapping Edith between himself and the wall. “Just tell me the truth, and I won’t have to hurt you.”

“No.”

Edith could never make up for the harm she caused, but she didn't have to make it worse. Even if it killed her.

Jasper grabbed her by the hair, wrenching her head back, lips twitching into a smirk when Edith cried out. He pressed the tip of his wand to her throat. “You know you don’t like it when I’m rough with you, Edie,” he hissed in her ear. “Well, you don’t know how rough I can be.”

Edith strained against him. “I’m not telling you anything!”

Jasper yelled in frustration, throwing Edith to the floor. “We’ll do it the fun way, then.”

“Crucio!”

—

Edith reached for her tea, the end of her tale hanging between them, suspended in the tense silence. She felt the weight of it on her shoulders, keeping her head bowed.

“You make it easy for him to exploit it. The way you blame yourself.”

Edith finally looked at him, her brow furrowing.

“Why shouldn’t I? I led Jasper right to them. It could have been two against one, but I couldn’t help Simon.”

“You tried. That counts for something.”

“But not enough,” Edith argued. “If I hadn’t been so useless, he might not have…” She couldn’t bring herself to say the word.

Aesop leaned forward, laying his hand atop hers. “Edith, Simon knew what he was doing. Your friend Zara had suspicions of her own about McNair and barely acted on them. It was not your fault alone.”

“But I do share the blame,” Edith pointed out.

“Do not forget that I understand exactly how you feel. I caused the death of my partner. Indirectly, perhaps, but much of the fault lies with me. I know there is nothing I can say that will take away your guilt. But history need not repeat itself if you learn from it.”

Edith sighed. She looked down at Aesop’s hand resting on hers. Silence stretched between them. Edith knew there was wisdom in his words, but her heart would not listen. All she saw were visions of Jasper McNair hurting people - killing people - because she did not act.

"What now?" Aesop's voice cut through those images, bringing her gaze to his. "What will you do?"

Her heart sank. Edith knew exactly what she would do. "I must speak with Matilda."

Edith was pensive as they made their way back to Hogwarts. Aesop's coat still enveloped her shoulders, and she held it close. She was getting used to its weight, its warmth.

"Thank you, by the way. I never said." Edith gestured to the coat.

He answered with a wry smile. "It looked like you need it more than I."

When they entered the castle, she reluctantly shrugged it off and held it out to him. It made her feel comfortable. Protected. Things she didn't want to feel in the conversation she had planned.

Aesop quirked an eyebrow as he took the coat back, sliding it onto his broad shoulders. His gaze traveled over Edith, briefly, taking in her appearance properly for the first time that night. Edith was a little disheveled, but the overall effect of her efforts was not diminished.

The night was not supposed to be like this.

Under Aesop's gaze, which was quickly filling with concern at the look on her face, Edith steeled herself. Then she headed toward Matilda's office.

Aesop struggled to keep up with Edith’s purposeful strides. She almost hoped he would give up - he would not like what came next, she just knew it. But their difference in height made up for the mobility difference, and he was never far behind.

Matilda looked up in surprise when Edith waltzed into her office without knocking. “Edith, you look lovely this evening. Whatever is the matter?”

“Jasper has found me. We just encountered him in Hogsmeade.”

Matilda’s face fell. “My dear, I’m so sorry. Were you hurt?”

“No.” Edith’s gaze slid to Aesop, and Matilda seemed to understand. “But Matilda, you know what this means. I have to leave Hogwarts.”

“Edith,” Aesop objected at the same time Matilda tutted.

“Dear girl, you cannot be serious.” Matilda came around to the other side of the desk. “Aren’t you tired of running from him? We could fetch the aurors, have justice served.”

Edith shook her head. “You know he has friends in the ministry. He’ll just get away again.”

Aesop stepped up beside her. “This cannot be your answer to what happened.”

“Jasper is dangerous. We all know that. If I stay, I’ll be putting innocent people in danger. Maybe students. I can’t do that. I won’t.”

“He’s a wanted man whose shown his face in the village,” Aesop reminded her. “He won’t act rashly.”

“Aesop is right. He wouldn’t take that risk, not now. And he cannot reach you here at the school.”

Edith took a steadying breath. “My mind is made up. There is a train to London from Hogsmeade Station tomorrow evening. I will be on it. Perhaps one day I can return.”

Matilda frowned, folding her arms. “Stubborn girl.” She looked at Aesop, as if to say “Maybe she’ll listen to you.”

“I’m sorry, Matilda. If I could see any other way… But I just can’t.”

“I hope you change your mind, Edie.” Matilda’s voice filled with concern and irritation. “If you come to your senses and realize you have other options, you know where to find me.”

Aesop was silent as he escorted Edith back to her quarters, their paces evenly matched. She sensed the irritation coming off him in prickly waves.

“I know you are trying to find the words to convince me not to leave, but there are none. I have to do this.”

“No, you don’t. As Matilda said, you are safe here. You have paths you may not have had before. Choose another.”

His tone reminded her of when they first met, the one he no doubt used on his students often. Impatience. Disappointment.

They came to a stop in front of her door, and she turned to face him. “I know what Matilda said. She isn’t always right.”

“Of course she is right, and you know it.” Aesop looked her over, his gaze softening a little. “And it’s not the only thing she was right about.”

“What do you mean?”

He cupped her face, his warm palm fitting softly against the curve of her cheek. “You look lovely, Edith.”

Their gazes locked for a long moment, seeing visions in each other’s eyes of what the night might have been like if things had gone as planned. Edith could see his mind at work, plotting, surely, before he turned away. She watched his back as he limped to his own rooms.

Their eyes met one last time before he went inside, and Edith felt a pang of something in her chest.

Two years running from Jasper.

It had never felt so painful to leave a place before.

—

A clatter resounded through the study as Mirabel set her teacup down with an exclamation. “What do you mean? You can’t just up and leave in the middle of the school year without an explanation.”

"It's almost time for Christmas break. I'm sure no one will feel my absence when classes resume."

"Edith, that's simply not true."

Mirabel took Edith's shoulders and turned her around, forcing her to look up from the books she was packing. The earnestness in the redhead's eyes was touching. "I miss you terribly already. As will Matilda. And you know Professor Ronen will miss those little charmed flowers you leave everywhere."

A smile flickered over Edith's face for a moment. "Well, I'm sure you will manage without me."

Mirabel sighed. "I just wish you would tell me what's wrong. Perhaps I could help."

When Edith didn't answer, Mirabel pressed. "Did something happen with Professor Sharp last night?"

That was enough to elicit a reaction. Edith's head snapped up. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Well, yesterday you were so excited about having dinner with him, and today you are leaving. Was the evening not what you expected?"

Edith felt a flutter run through her. It was dangerously close to the truth, while being dangerously incorrect at the same time.

"No. No, Aesop has done nothing wrong." Her voice was soft. "Quite the opposite."

"I'm glad to hear it. But it doesn't explain why you are leaving."

"It's a long story," Edith said, turning back to her bookshelf. "But it is necessary."

The redhead's brow furrowed. "You are doing little to assuage my worry."

"I know." Edith wasn't sure how to tell Mirabel that she should be worried. Edith certainly was.

"At least promise to keep in touch."

A sad smile. "I shall do my best."

Edith surveyed the room. She had packed up the most essential items in her trunk, but she could not take everything tonight. "I suppose I'll have to arrange for the rest to be delivered."

“I will look after these plants for you.” Mirabel gestured to the few that Edith had to leave behind. They were common plants, things that Edith could easily pick up and grow again when she settled for a while. Edith carefully stored the rare, difficult plants in her trunk, using enchantments. “You have a few hours before your train, don’t you? Say you’ll join me for one last cup of tea.”

Swallowing back tears that threatened to break her composure, Edith smiled. “One last cup.”

—

In the midst of a restless night, Aesop had come to a decision. An idea that might convince Edith not to leave. Something that would make her understand that everyone at Hogwarts wanted her to stay.

That he wanted her to stay.

Thus, he spent most of the day preparing what Aesop expected to be a grand gesture, especially coming from him. When he was prepared, when the words were in his mind, he made his way to Edith's quarters. Aesop glanced at his pocket watch. An hour and a half before her train.

Just enough time.

But when he arrived, finding the door standing open, Aesop was surprised to see Mirabel sitting in front of the fire. Edith was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Edith?" He did not bother with ceremony, impatience coloring his tone.

Mirabel looked up in surprise. She was apparently finishing a cup of tea as she stared into the fire. She stood and walked toward him. "Aesop, do you know why she's leaving?"

"Where is she?" Aesop repeated.

"She received notice that the train timetable was misprinted. It leaves an hour earlier than she expected." Mirabel shook her head. "Edith has already left."

“Damn!”

Aesop thrust what he was holding into Mirabel’s hands and stormed down the hall.

She looked down in confusion, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. "Aesop?" Mirabel called after him, but he ignored her.

Aesop had never realized that Hogsmeade Station was so bloody far away. Even employing the use of floo flames, he had underestimated the distance.

Of course, he had never wanted to get there so quickly before.

He almost sighed in relief when he saw Edith standing on the platform, no train in sight. Bathed in the golden colors of the fading sun, the sadness etched on her features was prominent. Her anxiety was obvious in how she clutched the handle of her satchel. Edith was staring down the tracks, watching for the train, though Aesop could guess the train itself was the last thing on her mind. He reached the edge of the platform and called out to her.

Roused from the private pity party in her mind by the sound of her name, Edith looked up. “Aesop?” His limp seemed more pronounced, and he was out of breath as he joined her on the platform.

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"I couldn't find you. I thought you were angry."

"Furious."

"You came all this way to tell me that?"

"No." Aesop sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I came to tell you that you are acting like a naïve child, repeating the same impulsive mistake you’ve made several times in the past and expecting a different outcome.”

Edith stiffened, her eyebrows lifting. His tone was not especially harsh, but his words were wounding. “Your point?”

"Is that who you want to be?"

Scoffing, Edith shook her head. "We can't change who we are."

"Of course we can. We have no power over the things that happen to us. But we have a choice in how we react to them." Aesop closed the distance between them, dark eyes intense as his gaze met hers. "You have a choice now, Edith. Fear or bravery. Do you let him win? Or do you refuse to let him hurt you anymore?"

“Don’t you understand? I don’t care that he hurts me. Only that he hurts others to do it. If that means a life of caring for no one so that he can’t use them, then I’m willing to accept it.”

A frustrated growl force itself past Aesop’s lips. “Is that really want you want? To spend your life running away? He will always have this hold over you unless you free yourself from him.”

“I can’t even defend myself from a boggart!”

“Then you’ll learn.”

Edith faltered. It sounded like such a straightforward solution when he said it like that. As if it was that simple.

Aesop took her hand, his fingers tightening around hers to emphasize his words. “You’re not alone anymore. You have a faculty full of experienced witches and wizards who would help you. We can figure this out together if you stay.”

His rationale was an assault, tearing holes in the walls Edith had constructed. Leaving had always been the easier option. She had been resolved, had made peace with the pain of walking away from Hogwarts. It was different this time, no matter how she tried to convince herself otherwise. The very thought of leaving her friends, her colleagues, had filled her heart with anguish, but Edith had buried it because she knew it was the right choice.

Aesop was not a man to let things stay buried.

Flurries of snow descended around them, and Edith blinked one from her eyelashes. “I told you no words could convince me.”

“I know.”

Aesop’s hand found her waist, and he tugged her close. He pressed his lips to Edith’s, a kiss so passionate and tender that it far surpassed her imagination. It didn’t last long enough, and she soon felt the bite of cold air where his mouth had been.

“Stay with me.” his husky voice growled in her ear.

Edith stared up at him, her heart racing. She didn’t know what to say. Maybe she didn’t need to say anything. Her fingers grasped his lapel, and she pulled him into another kiss. Edith dropped her satchel to the ground, her fingers curling in his hair as she leaned into him. The kiss grew heated, their mouths moving in harmony. The rest of the world melted away so completely, Edith almost didn’t notice the sound of the train pulling into the station behind them.

Their lips parted, but neither of them moved. They stared at each other, catching their breath. Aesop raised an eyebrow. “Is that a yes?”

"You really think I can learn?"

"If I can teach Weasley not to blow up a cauldron, I can teach you to defend yourself."

"But you haven't taught Weasley not to blow up a cauldron."

Aesop chuckled. "I'm expecting you to be a better student."

His fingers danced over the back of her neck. "Say you'll stay."

Her voice was a whisper against his cheek. "I'll stay."

Aesop's arm around her waist tightened, and their lips met again. As the snow fell in earnest, Edith filled with a warmth she had not felt in years.

[thealmightyemprex]

Live Action Disney Films I am keen on revisiting requests -Disney month

So I wanna have a mix of stuff for Disney month,stuff I have seen and stuff I havent .For this one,these are live action Disney films I have fond memories of or are favories and each of you get to pick one and ask me three questions about the film (The questions can beserious or silly )

20000 Leagues Under the Sea

Pirates of the Carribian Curse of the Black Pearl

Something Wicked this Way Comes

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Old Yeller

Hocus Pocus

Ernest Scared Stupid

Watcher in the Woods

Count of Monte Cristo

DAvy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier

Darby O Gill and the Little People

Swiss Family Robinson

Babes In Toyland

That Darn Cat

The Love Bug

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

The Black Hole

Popeye

Tron

Return to Oz

Flight of the Navigator

Honey I shrunk the Kid

Honey I Blew Up the Kid

Homeward Bound the Incredible Journey

The Adventures of Huck Finn

James and the Giant Peach

101 Dalmatians

Mighty Joe Young

Holes

The Haunted Mansion

@ariel-seagull-wings @amalthea9 @angelixgutz @princesssarisa @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @goodanswerfoxmonster

[mariesdeluluworld]

𝙈𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙞𝙖 |𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙛𝙤𝙮 𝙭 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧|

𝐂𝐡��𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐬

Y/n couldn't think or speak. The magic of Diagon Alley overwhelmed him as he stared at the shops. Once the archway appeared Hagrid led him and his brother through before the archway shrunk instantly back into a solid wall. Y/n turned his head away from the now solid wall, letting his eyes wander all over the Alley. The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons—All Sizes—Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver—Self-Stirring—Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.

"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, noticing Y/n and Harry staring at the nearest shop, "but we gotta get yer money first."

Y/n and Harry wished they had about eight more eyes. He and Harry turned their heads in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping.

A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad. . . ."

A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium—Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's and Y/n's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it.

"Look," the boys heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand—fastest ever—"

There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Y/n had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon . . .

"Gringotts," said Hagrid. They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was—

"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry and Y/n. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Y/n noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

"Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid as Y/n studied the text, a lump forming in his throat. "Uh-huh,"

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid, Harry, and Y/n made for the counter.

"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry and Y/n Potter's safe."

"You have his key, sir?"

"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry and Y/n watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.

"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.

The goblin looked at it closely.

"That seems to be in order."

"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

The goblin read the letter carefully.

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he, Harry, and Y/n followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked suspiciously. "Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."

Griphook held the door open for them. Y/n, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in—Hagrid with some difficulty—and were off.

At first, they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. "Blimey," muttered Y/n. Blimey is right, thought Harry as he tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way because Griphook wasn't steering.

Harry's and Y/n's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but Harry kept them wide open, while Y/n squeezed his eyes tight, disliking the cold air whipping around his face and hair.

Once, Harry thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late—they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.

"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"

"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."

He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.

Harry turned his head to Y/n and elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh!" his eyes popped open. "Bloody Hell, Harry," he muttered angrily as he rubbed his bruised ribs. Harry rolled his eyes and climbed out of the cart with Y/n behind him muttering about Harry's bony elbows as if he didn't have bony elbows as well.

Griphook unlocked the door. The door creaked open, drawing Y/n's attention as a lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, both Harry and Y/n gasped simultaneously. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

"Are-are those . . .?" he couldn't get the words out properly, shock took over his body as his eyes traveled from each mountain and heap of the magical currency.

"All yours," confirmed Hagrid, a giant smile on his face.

All his. And Harry's. It was bloody incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from them faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry and Y/n cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to them, buried deep under London.

"Well? Come on then!" Y/n dragged his brother closer to the vault as he scooped up some of the money as Hagrid gave them a velvet pouch with a wand embroidered on it. "How does this work? The currency I mean," said Y/n as he picked up a gold coin.

"Well, that one there is a Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough." Harry and Y/n nodded as they scooped a pile of the coins into the bag. "Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." mused Hagrid as Y/n pulled the leather strings of the bag, closing it.

Hagrid turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?" Y/n had to agree with Hagrid, he did not enjoy the ride down here in that blasted cart. "One speed only," said Griphook with a sneer. Y/n never glared harder in his life.

The three of them climbed back into the cart, Y/n scowling at the goblin as the cart started moving. It gained speed quickly and Harry felt the adrenaline pumping in his veins. They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled around tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck. "What yeh think you're doin'??!" he shouted over the wind. "I just wanted to have a look―"

"Are you MAD?!" shrieked Y/n as he stared at his twin in shock. "You could've fallen over! You could've DIED!? What were you thinking?!" Harry looked at his twin, then to Hagrid, both shared looks of shock, anger and worry. For some strange reason, their reactions―especially Hagrid's―made him happy, content, and brought him to tears. No one, besides Y/n, had ever cared for Harry as did Hagrid at this moment. He was a complete stranger to this giant, yet he gazed at Harry like he was his own.

Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. This confused Harry as much as it did Y/n. How was Hagrid supposed to retrieve something within this vault if it had no key hole? Griphook answered the question before they asked.

"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away. "Woah!" whispered Y/n, awe shimmering in his eyes.

Griphook smirked. "If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there,"

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.

"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin. Y/n shared a look with his brother and visibly gulped in fear. Note to self, he thought, never mess with goblins.

"Something really extraordinary has to be inside this top security vault," whispered Harry. Y/n nodded in agreement. As the vault door opened, both he and Harry leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least . . . nothing. There was nothing in there. It was empty.

Y/n sighed aloud and rolled his shoulders. "Well, that was a waste of a trip now was it?" Before Harry or Hagrid could retort back to him, he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Both Harry and Y/n longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.

"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid, which drew a smile from Y/n. One wild cart ride later, they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Neither Harry nor Y/n knew where to run first now that they had a bag full of money. They didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than they'd had in their whole life—more money than even Dudley had ever had.

"Wish Dudley could see us now," smirked Y/n. "Thirty-six??! That's two less than last year, Mummy!! Ohh poor me, I only have thirty-six presents for my birthday!! Waahh!" Harry laughed at Y/n's impression of their cousin, tears streamed down his face while Hagrid looked at them, confused.

"Inside joke Hagrid," explained Y/n. Hagrid nodded. "Ohh, always wanted ter be in one," he said. "Anyway, might as well get yer uniform," Hagrid nodded his head towards a shop called: Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry,Y/n, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry and Y/n said their goodbyes to Hagrid and wished him well before entering Madam Malkin's shop.

[ririreader]

This is just a little Remus fluff I’ve had on my mind the last few days. No smut, just cuteness. TW: self-harm. All acts are consensual and student is of-age.

The day Remus resigns is the day his graduate student decides to be honest.

She fiddled with her white button-down. She had done nothing but fidget for the past three hours. She kept adjusting a readjusting her uniform, anxiety making her fussy. Everyone was talking about him resigning. The news had buzzed through the Great Hall and slipped through every corridor of the school. She had been in Double Potions when she found out, or she would have run right to his office. But, now that she lingered outside of the doorway, she felt at a loss for what to say.

Just tell him. She mentally chided herself.

No more dancing around the truth. She was a grown woman. This could be her last chance. She wasn’t going to let him slip away. She couldn’t.

She rapped at the door, hand much more steady and sure than she felt.

“Come in!”

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she opened the door and walked in. His office was in complete disarray. Books were strewn about, some lying half open. A pot of ink had spilled and run over his desk. There were discarded bits of clothing flung over the backs of chairs and the floor. Gone was the usual cozy atmosphere. She was used to warmth from a fire, a tiny bit of clutter, and a hot mug of tea. But this… this was chaos.

He peeked at her from behind the sofa, on his hands and knees for some unknown reason. He smiled.

“Hello, you. I seem to have misplaced a sock. You’ve found me in the midst of my hunt.”

She smiled to herself, shaking her head.

“Accio socks!”

A cloud of socks rushed over to her, landing with a soft thump at her feet. He looked at her, mouth slightly agape.

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

He stood, brushing dust off of his black dress pants. He walked to the pile, examining it thoughtfully.

“Aha!”

He held up a rather raggedy looking black sock for her to see, triumphant.

“She doesn’t look like much, but I wouldn’t be complete without her.”

He turned and walked to his suitcase, dropping the pile of socks in with little grace. He turned, leaning against his desk and bracing his hands on the edge. He gave her a cheeky grin.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

She looked at the floor. A beat of silence passed.

“Everything alright?”

She looked at him, eyes stinging. His brow furrowed when he saw her expression.

“What’s the matter?”

“You’re leaving.”

He crossed his arms, smiling softly.

“Surely that’s no reason to be sad. I’m not vanishing. And you know my favorite barstool at the Three Broomsticks should you ever need to seek me out.”

He tipped his chin down, smiling. She looked to the ceiling, tears running down her cheeks silently. She sighed, and began tying her hair up in a bun.

“I need to ask you something.”

Seeing her tears, he pushed off the desk and walked to her, hands in his pockets. He stared down at her, face serious.

“Go on.”

She looked up at him, studying his handsome face. It was too much. Rather abruptly, she burst into tears. Looking startled, Remus stood dumbly gaping at her.

“You’re distraught.” He said lamely.

She wiped at her face, cheeks reddening with embarrassment.

“Remus, I finish here in a month.”

“Yes, I know.”

She crossed her arms, hugging herself.

“I want you to wait for me.”

He paused, confused.

“Wait… where are you going? The loo? I can wait.”

“No, Remus!” She cut off, exasperated.

She had startled him. He had shrunk back, deflating a bit. She took a deep breath. She met his eyes. He looked wary.

“I’m saying I want you to wait for me. I want you to wait until I can be with you. Properly. If you’ve any interest in that. If you don’t, I understand, but if there’s any chance… please wait.”

Her voice was a pathetic squeak by the time she finished. He looked at her with disbelief.

“You… you want to be with me?”

She nodded, biting her lip to stop it quaking.

“You don’t know what you’re asking… why in the world would you want that?”

“Because I love you.”

He stared, mouth agape.

“Why?!” He demanded, incredulous.

She laughed weakly.

“Because you ask me about the books I’m reading. And you want to hear my poetry. And you’re brilliant. And you make me laugh. And you’re painfully kind and gentle. And because facing this world is easier when I’m with you.”

He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I’m old and ugly and… and jobless! As of today, in fact!”

“You’re not ugly.” She bit.

“Yeah?” he asked, bitter, “haven’t looked at my face then, have you?”

“I have, actually.”

She stepped forward until there was little more than an inch between them. His breathing picked up.

“Then…” he cleared his throat, “then you’ve seen what a scarred mess it is.”

“It’s scarred. It’s not a mess. Anyway, I don’t care what your face looks like. Nor do I care that you’re unemployed. As of today.”

His shoulders slumped. “You can’t want this.” He whispered.

“I do. I want to see your handsome, albeit scarred, face every day. I want to watch you read the Prophet and sip coffee. I want to hold your hand. And when something makes you laugh, I want to be the first person you think of to tell. I want to make you happy. As happy as you make me.”

The look on his face was utter devastation.

“I don’t deserve all that, love.”

“Everyone deserves that.”

He closed his eyes, biting his cheek. He said nothing.

She took that as a no.

“Can I… can I hug you, at least?”

His eyes shot open, anxiety clouding his features.

“I… I don’t usually let people do that.”

She felt like her chest was going to cave in.

“Oh.” Was all she said, voice small.

“No no,” his words were rushed, “it’s not just you. I… I’m covered in scars. You can feel them through my clothes. It’s… it’s embarrassing.”

She laughed bitterly.

“Oh, Remus.”

She rolled up her sleeves, showing him her wrists. They were covered in raised white scars.

“Scars don’t bother me.”

“Oh, no…” he breathed. He looked like he could cry.

“Oh, no. No.”

He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him tightly. She returned the hug, running her hands over his back. She felt the scars, raised. She just continued rubbing his back, completely unbothered. His resolve disintegrated. So this is what it felt like, being love unconditionally. Having the love of someone who wasn’t disgusted or leery of your faults. He could feel it, feel the love that surpassed his fears and worries. He sighed against her shoulder.

“All right.” He whispered.

She pulled back, searching his face. He just nodded, eyes red with unshed tears.

“All right. I’ll wait. One month.”

She laughed, voice choked. She hugged him again, tangling her fingers in the hair at the back of his head. Pulling back, she framed his face with her hands. They just smiled at one another, sheepish. She stepped back, clasping her hands behind her back.

“All right. One month, then.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Another moment of grinning and staring. She stepped back, walking backward to the door.

“I’ll see you in a month.”

She turned, finally facing away from him.

“Wait!”

She turned, startled.

“Uh… wait.”

He turned and started rummaging around on his desk, searching for something. Finally, he found a torn piece of paper with an address scribbled on it and handed it to her.

“Write to me.”

She looked down at the paper, looking back to him with a huge grin. She nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah I will.”

She tucked the paper into her pocket, turning again to leave. He grabbed her wrist, yanking her back. Their noses touched. She stood, unmoving, heart racing. He leaned in, kissing her softly. He lingered a bit, pulling back the smallest amount.

“Something to hold you over.”

He rubbed his forehead.

“That sounded a bit arrogant.”

She laughed.

“No. It was good.”

She winked at him, turning and walking out the door. He stood, hands in his pockets, smiling to himself. He looked up when he heard running. He barely had seen her when she ran and jumped into his arms, kissing him hard. He grunted against her lips, eventually wrapping his arms around her and kissing back. She finished with a few pecks to his lips, one to his nose, and one to his head.

“Something to hold you over.” She grinned.

He laughed, resting his forehead against hers. He held her for a bit, savoring the feel of her against him. Reluctantly, she pulled away, and backed out of the doorway.

“One month.” She said.

He smiled.

“One month.”

[tafferling]

Post Zombie Apocalypse Self-Care

Kyle Crane has left Harran in his rearview mirror. The world is saved. What now? Time for PZASC, that's what.

Chapter 1: Kyle’s flailing about was finally stopped

Home is where the WiFi auto connects, they say. It’s where the shoes reliably come off, all the hats are hung in order, where the right type of jam is stocked in the fridge, and you know where the remote control is (most times, anyway).

More importantly though, home is where there aren’t any zombies trying to gnaw the meat off your bones and where you can slouch on the sofa, uninterrupted.

That’s how she finds Kyle Crane: slouching his worst slouch on the sofa. His ass is near hanging off, that’s how far forward he’s slipped, and his long legs are doing that thing where they take up too much space extended as they are. He’s wearing a forest green kinda t-shirt that’s a size at least too large for him, a pair of plain grey joggers, and a white sock on his left foot. The second sock is orange. It has white ducks printed on it.

His feet wiggle.

(Because there are a lot of things Kyle Crane can be, motionless is never one of them.)

So, there he lounges, feet wiggling, with his chin turned down to his chest in a way that probably means his neck will start aching soon, and a Nintendo Switch held up under his nose.

She parks herself by the door and watches him.

He’s focused. Very focused. Like the entire world has shrunk to the tiny screen in front of him. He’s also wildly expressive, she thinks. Sometimes his brows shoot up. Other times his entire face gets all pinchy. That’s when he leans his torso left or right and tilts the Switch alongside him. The buttons gets smashed harder then, too. And the thumbsticks get a vigorous workout.

Never mind all that though.

The best bit are the smiles. He has a wealth of those ready to go at a moment’s notice and now is no different. There are wide ones, the ones where he shows teeth and when his cheeks get all bunched up. And the quick ones. And the lazy ones. They all curl into his three-day-old beard and they are what end up tugging her away from the door, across the room, and reel her in to sit on the sofa next to him.

Crane doesn’t exactly look up. He throws her a quick, sideways kind of glance from where he’s halfway down the sofa, and then he’s back to playing.

That is when she notices he has three giant Haribo Dummy candies stuck on his fingers.

Yeah.

He does that.

Sticks them on— preferably a whole ten of them —and then slowly works his way from left to right, beginning with the long ends until only the rings are left. Eventually, those get chewed off too and then he repeats the exercise until he’s run out. The empty bag sticks out from where he’s squeezed it into the band of his joggers. She extracts it, balls it up, and chucks it onto the coffee table.

. . .

Or tries to, anyway. Plastic doesn’t chuck well. It gives up flying halfway and falls to the floor.

She sighs.

That gets Crane’s attention and it earns her a smile. Not just any smile, either. It’s that smile; the private one; the deceptively languid one; the one which mostly sits in his light brown eyes, where it’s unapologetically fierce and beelines right for her heart.

He scoots up. It’s an awkward, wobbly motion, involving lots of grunting and shoulder-rubbing into her direction until he’s finally in a position where he can drape an arm around her.

See, Kyle Crane is a cuddle bug.

Give him any indication you’re up to get nuzzled at and he’ll be right up in there, happy as a clam. (It’s a phrase he dropped on her at some point and it’s stuck, though she can’t for the life of her figure out what makes clams particularly happy.)

Anyway.

He pulls her in close, rubs his cheek against hers, and drags her into his world of— ah— Terraria.

She blinks.

There’s a tiny sprite dude blasting other tiny sprite dudes to bits with what she assumes to be a broomstick of sorts and— she blinks some more.

“Are those zombies?” she asks.

“Mhmm,” he hums. The noise rumbles around in his chest, deep and comforting so close to her ear.

“Isn’t that a little, I dunno—“ She gives her arm a half-hearted lift, gesturing lamely.

“—cathartic,” Crane says. “That’s what it is. Cathartic. Wanna try?”

“No. I’m good.”

“Kay. Hey. Lemmi show you something.” His fingers squish some buttons. The thumb sticks get a wiggle. And suddenly Terraria!Kyle is standing in a ginormous tree. A tree that is also a house, she assumes. Rooms are held up by wide branches and ringed in by leaves and there are lanterns dangling on the outside — and, honestly, there is so much to see, she can’t process it all at once.

“Tada. My tree house. ‘cus it’s a house. And a tree.”

“It’s very intricate,” she admits.

“Right? I been working on it all week. Look—“ He zips up the middle of the tree’s very wide trunk, right along a chain. “—top floor, bedroom.”

It does, indeed, have a bed. In front of a large window looking out across a jungle. She nods quietly to herself. He’d do that if he could get away with it. Have a bedroom real high up somewhere. With the wall facing it being nothing but glass. There’s also a bookcase though. Which is very him, too. Plus more books on shelves. And starfish. And shells. And a pink piggy bank. Also very him. The clutter. The hoarding.

Crane zips back down. “Armoury.” With, well. Armour. On mannequins. And chests full of weapons, or so he says. Further down there’s the dryad and the zoologist. The first one is a lass in nothing but some vines covering her private bits and the second one is a fox lady. Or a cat lass. She can’t tell.

He ships them, he says.

She snorts.

Next, he shows her a kitchen. Then a crafting room. After that, a bathroom with an actual tub and a toilet (“Where does the poop go, Crane?” “Shut up. It’s magic.”) and eventually the bottom floor, where he’s built a deck over a pretty jungle lake off on the left.

For fishing.

He’s an avid fisher, she’s found out. Has a soft spot for fly fishing in particular and often whinges how he doesn’t get to go as much as he’d like.

There’s more to the ‘tree house’. A lot more, and, eventually, something catches her attention. She worms her hand up until she’s able to wiggle a finger at the far right of the small screen.

“What’s that? They look like tombstones?”

“Oh. He-he.” He clears his throat and taps the first one.

Kyle couldn’t put the fire out, it reads.

Her right brow quirks up.

Kyle’s flailing about was finally stopped, says the next one.

“That’s a miracle,” she comments. Crane bumps his head against hers. Gently.

Kyle forgot to run.

   Kyle discovered gravity.

       Kyle tried to swim in lava.

And so on and so forth.

“Wow,” she says. “Little Kyle isn’t having the best of times, is he?”

“Little—“ Crane pauses.

His mouth snaps shut. And, after that, it’s a miracle she can’t actually hear the worn-out gears in his head turning. Though she can most certainly feel how the lips he’s pressed to her temple curl up into yet another smile. This one’s cheeky, she imagines.

“Yeah. He’s having it rough. Wanna help cheer Little Kyle up?”

. . .

Okay, she walked into that one. She admits that, readily, but even more so readily she pokes at his ribs with her finger. Once. Then twice. At the third jab he huffs. At the forth the huff turns to a laugh and he twists awkwardly away from her — while not actually going anywhere and always snapping right back.

“I hate you,” she lies, her voice flat, and bites at his nearest finger with one of the candy rings still stuck to it.

“Thief,” he accuses and pulls her in tight again, his chin back to rest against her head. “Fine. Wanna help with decorating instead?”

She nods while idly chewing on the candy.

“Sweet. Okay— so—“

Yeah. Home is where the WiFi auto connects. Where you got all your favourite jam. Where the hats are all in order. And, sometimes, home is tiny and it’s also a tree, and you watch it grow while wrapped up in the arms of a man who can’t wear two matching socks.

[heartofspells]

ask game!

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Thanks for the tag, @soloorganaas, you lovely thing! I still want to know about every single thing on your list.

Aaaaaaand here we go again. I am hiding my face.

1.BAU proposal 2.Fire Up the Night 3.Lies I Tell Myself 4.Mark the Days 5.Remus Healing Edge 6.SSS 7.YOU 8.Festival 9.These Hands that Bind 10.A Lamp to Guide the Way 11.Burn the Straw House Down 12.Common Scents - Perfume Shop 13.Peter 14.Who Are You 15.Mal's present - Descent Edition 16.Healer Sirius 17.Dark!James 18.Fake Marriage 19.Cowboy (facepalm) 20.No One's Here to Sleep 21.Remus raises Harry/Sirius rejoins after falling hard (if it looks like the list shrunk, it did not. i've just pushed others to the deepest recesses of my brain) Tagging: @broomsticks @mooncat457writing @greenvlvetcouch @maybebabyplease @spikybanana @theresthesnitch

[salazarslytherin]

happy days (f.w x gn!y/n)

requested: nope! send in your own requests here!

summary: in which fred takes y/n on a special date

cw/tw: like maybe 0.5% angst, 99.5% fluff

word count: 2.9k

🃛 masterlist!

a/n: i'm pretty sure reader is gender neutral in this one! i made sure not to use any pronouns or prominent mentions to y/n's body or anything. i really hope y'all like it, i don't really ever write fluff so i hope it's good! please leave a comment, like or reblog to help boost xx

“Jump!”

“What?! Are you insa-”

⚔︎.

It was probably a bad idea to be doing this. Actually, it was most definitely a bad idea to be doing this. But when has a ‘bad’ idea ever deterred the infamous Fred Weasley? In fact, the thought of anyone calling one of his ideas ‘bad’ just spelt encouragement in Fred’s mind.

You’d learnt that lesson two months into meeting the Weasley twins, and it’s only engrained itself in your mind further since. There’s never been a point to try to dissuade Fred, it’s best to just go along and hope the ride isn’t too bumpy along the way. After dating Fred, these bad ideas had expanded themselves to different categories- risky places to be intimate, weird ways to cheer you up with confessions of love, and dangerously stupid dates.

The last category was where today’s bad idea landed.

⚔︎.

Three days ago, Fred had the “most ingenious, marvellous, uniquely exciting date idea Hogwarts has ever seen!” He’d disappeared in the middle of lunch, dragging George along with him, mumbling to himself, “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner!”, leaving you confused, sat alone in the Great Hall.

“Where are they going?”

Harry, Ron and Hermione popped up behind you, seating themselves down in the twins’ now deserted seats.

“I have absolutely no clue.”

⚔︎.

That’s how you found yourself here, two days later. A Saturday, you were all set to go on a Hogsmeade trip with some of your Ravenclaw friends when Fred ambushed you. Popping up out of a closet and scaring the living lights out of you, he dragged you behind him, laughing as you shouted at him.

“Freddie! What are you doing? I’m supposed to go meet Renee and the others right now!”

Regardless of the fact that Fred was making you miss plans you’d already made, you were beaming from ear to ear.

“Georgie’s already told ‘em you can’t make it. Now hurry up

This being your OWLs year, you’d hardly had the time to see Fred this term, busy studying while he went off doing whatever it was he did when you weren’t around. Being a year younger meant he had already studied everything you’d studied, and while he offered to help you a lot, you’d rather he go have fun than sit around revising old material with you.

Combined with the Triwizard Tournament and the fact that the twins saw this as the golden opportunity to sell products to customers other than Hogwarts student, you’d only had three dates in the almost three months since school had started.

“Where in the name of Merlin are you bringing me, Fred!”

“You’ll see soon enough darling!”

⚔︎.

Soon enough turned out to be ten minutes later, the two of you panting as you’d finally made it all the way across to the other side of the castle and up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower.

The sun was shining brightly down upon the two of you, the tall windows welcoming the late November winds into the room. A chest sat next to one of the ledges, Fred finally letting go of your hand for the first time in ten minutes, reaching down to open it.

He took a piece of cloth out, closing the chest before you could sneak a peek at the contents, tucking the wooden box under his arm.

“Is this the brilliant date idea you were talking about the other day? I’m not going to lie to you Freddie, cloth doesn’t really scream ingenious to me. In fact, it seems like you brought me up here to clean.”

Raising your eyebrows at the ginger, you gestured at the fabric in his hand as he laughed at you, stepping up onto the ledge.

“Fred? What’re you doing?!”

The boy turned towards you, holding out a hand.

“Come up here.”

Your eyes widened.

“No! Are you insane?”

Fred’s hand faltered a bit, arm relaxing against his body as he looked into your eyes.

“Do you trust me?”

Silent, you stepped up next to Fred, clinging onto his hip and arm, knees shaking slightly at the height you were at.

“I trust you with my life.”

Adjusting the chest under his arm, Fred pulled you into his embrace.

“That’s good to hear. Because it’s time.”

He looked down, dropping the piece of cloth, before tilting your head up to look at him, stepping one foot off the ledge and into the skies.

“Jump!”

“What?! Are you insa-”

You were cut off by screams erupting from your mouth as the ground disappeared below you- Fred pulling you with him, laughter bubbling from his chest.

“Oh my God, I’m going to die-”

You reached the ground a lot quicker than you’d thought possible, your eyes squeezed shut, bracing for the imminent death that would come.

Instead, you felt a weird, soft surface, almost like a water bed, rippling under you as you landed on your knees.

“Am I in heaven?”

Your eyes opened slowly, eyes meeting the clouds around you, only for a shadow to cover the sights surrounding you.

“No, but I think I am.”

A kiss landed on your lips as you fell back on the odd surface, Fred falling on top of you.

The kiss was short and sweet, but quickly forgotten as you remembered what had happened moments prior, hitting Fred on the chest as you took in your surroundings.

The surface you had landed on wasn’t a surface at all- in fact it was, a rug? It looked eerily similar to the cloth Fred had thrown off the tower earlier, only, about thirty times bigger, and flying.

You looked at Fred, confused. The tall ginger boy beamed back at you, gesturing grandly.

“Welcome, to your very own magic carpet ride!”

⚔︎.

After lecturing Fred on how incredibly dangerous the start of the date had been, you finally had the chance to process the reality of the date.

“Where are we going, then, on this magic carpet ride?”

The boy hummed, pulling out blankets and a pillow from the, now enlarged, chest, spreading them around the carpet that was hovering near the tip of the Astronomy Tower, awaiting further instruction from the two of you.

“Well first, I was thinking we could stop by Hogsmeade to get some snacks, maybe buy some of the Christmas gifts you wanted to go get today, then we’re flying off to explore Scotland! Well, the part of Scotland we’re in, anyways. Just for a few hours, then we’ll be back to watch the sunset.”

He looked at you for approval, which you granted with a wide smile.

“That sounds beautiful Fred.”

⚔︎.

Walking around Hogsmeade, Fred had shrunk the rug and tucked it into his pocket, the chest shrunk even smaller than it had been the first time you’d seen it.

“Alright, so I think you’ve gotten enough sugar quills to last you a lifetime. Where to next?”

Chewing on a sugar quill, you scrunched your nose in his direction, pulling him into the quaint little jewellery shop you liked to frequent.

The little old lady who owned the place was one you’d become acquainted with over the past five years, Mrs Kingston never minded that you rarely bought anything, understanding that most of her second-hand jewellery was still quite pricey for a student to afford.

Still, you tried your best to save up and buy the pieces you really liked. Recently, you’d been eyeing a necklace, a simple Celtic knot on a thin chain that shone brightly no matter how much light lit up the room. Mrs Kingston explained to you it was an old betrothal necklace, oft seen in pureblood families back in the Victorian era. It’s now seen worn by a lot of the heirs of these old families- in fact, you’d spotted Draco wearing an heirloom similar to it.

“Mrs Kingston!”

“Hello y/n, how are you?”

Fred nodded at the woman as he shuffled around the shop, looking in the display cabinets with vague interest whilst the two of you made small talk.

Your eyes wandered the familiar glass cabinet, landing on the soft velvet that was empty of the familiar Celtic knot, furrowed brows returning to meet Mrs Kingston's clouded eyes.

“The necklace!”

The woman nodded sadly, looking just as dejected as you felt.

“I'm sorry dearie. A boy came in a while ago to buy it. Might've been one of the ones you came with a few weeks back.”

Your head hung low, muttering out a soft 'oh' as she explained to you, nodding in response.

“It's okay Mrs Kingston. I'll see if there's something else I'd like to save up for instead. Thanks, see you next time!”

Thinking back to the last Hogsmeade trip when you'd come down to the shop, your heart lifted a bit, a smile returning to your face as you turned to face Fred.

“Alright, let's head to the bookstore.”

⚔︎.

The ginger's hand clutched yours tightly, the two of you cuddling under the thick blanket as you flew around mountains, pointing out animals, both magical and non-magical, that you'd seen around the place.

Fred looked at you quizzically. Since leaving Mrs Kingston's, you had seemingly forgotten the necklace. Even more, it seemed like you'd gotten happier since finding out someone had gotten the necklace. During the lunch you two had gotten at the Three Broomsticks, the both of you finding Madam Puddifoot's a bit nauseating, you were practically bouncing on your heels as you spoke to some of your friends about the upcoming Christmas celebrations.

“I thought you'd be more upset that the necklace is gone, I remember you talking about how much you liked it last time.”

You shrugged, a wider smile gracing your lips as you looked at him, nuzzling further into his chest.

“I love it! That's why I'm so happy Cedric got it for me. ”

Fred halted, pushing you away from him.

“I-, what! Why would Diggory be getting you a betrothal necklace?!”

You looked up at your boyfriend, furrowing your brows at his outburst.

“What! You know Ced's one of my best friends. Remember when we came to the shop a few weeks back? You, George and Lee were goofing around and then just bolted while I was telling Ced about the necklace. I guess he just came back to get it for me.”

Fred huffed, rolling his eyes as he heard you talk about Cedric, pulling away from you more.

“How could you be this blind!”

You looked at Fred, a bit hurt that he'd lost his temper at you for no reason.

“Why are you getting so worked up over this? It's not like he's proposing to me!”

The boy scoffed, throwing his hands up into the air.

“Well, it's clear that he'd do it without a thought! The boy's in love with you! That's the only reason why anyone would get you something that expensive!”

You laughed frigidly, shaking your head at how irrational your boyfriend was being, pushing the blanket off of you to move away from him.

“What, he can't just have gotten me the necklace because I'm a good friend? Merlin Fred, he's the only one who's actually been with me to go see the necklace, and is the only one who would logically know to get me the necklace.”

You turned to look him in the eye, your jaw clenching as he turned red.

“Besides, Cedric knows me best.”

Fred let out a frustrated 'ugh!', and grabbed the wooden chest that he'd charmed to stay in one corner, grumbling under his breath.

“You think Diggory's the one who knows you best? You think that he's the only one that could have gotten you the bloody necklace?”

A velvet box was brandished from somewhere deep in the chest, Fred propping it open to reveal a dazzling silver necklace, reflecting the afternoon sun into your eyes.

“The. I don't understand. But how?”

Fred snapped the box shut, moving to kneel in front of you.

“As I said just now, I know you best.”

He popped open the box again, this time moving to remove the necklace from the velvet, lifting it fully into the sunlight.

“I was listening when you were talking to Diggory, and even though I'd run away that day, I knew exactly what you wanted.”

He shuffled behind you, unclasping the necklace to bring it around your front.

“I said that he's in love with you, which I still think is true, by the way, and that's the reason why he would have possibly gotten it for you, is because I love you, and that's why I got it for you.”

The chain clipped around your neck, the cool metal contrasting your warm skin as Fred leaned down to press a kiss above the clasp, sending a shiver down your spine.

“Freddie, I had no idea.”

You spun around to face your boyfriend, pressing a deep kiss to his lips, hands landing on his neck to pull him impossibly closer to yourself.

“Clearly. I had this whole plan! All foiled by your cluelessness. I was going to wait until sunset, with the scenery all around us, then surprise you with it and ask you to be my date to the Yule Ball!”

You looked at Fred, your mouth falling open in shock.

“But you just had to bring up Cedric, and how he 'knows you best'. Maybe you should go with him to the Ball.”

You chuckled at the childishness of the Weasley boy in front of you, the pout framing his lips deepening as you laughed at him.

“Well then maybe you should go with Angie, I'm sure she'd be happy to have you.”

Fred gasped loudly, shocked at the audacity of you bringing up his old crush.

“Don't you even dare suggest that.”

⚔︎.

“How did you think of all this?”

The boy shrugged, opening the chest, to pull out a thermos. You were sat above the Black Lake, watching the setting sun on the horizon ahead, red bleeding into orange and blue.

“Honestly, I’m ashamed it took me so long. Remember this summer when you had me ‘round your place and we watched Aladdin with your parents?”

You nodded, fluffing the pillows to make yourself more comfortable, the setting sun casting shadows on the Weasley boy, making him look even more handsome than usual, if that was even possible.

“At that time, I’d already thought that the magic carpet seemed awfully similar to a broom. Then, that day at lunch some firstie was humming that one song they sang when flying the blasted thing, and I thought, blimey! Why didn’t I think to just recreate the bloody thing! So, here we are.”

While talking, Fred spread the thick blanket to cover more of you, pouring hot chocolate out of the thermos he’d brought into mugs that he’d gotten without you knowing, both shaped in little hearts.

“D’you, um, d’you like it?”

Handing the pink mug to you, a sheen of red descended on your boyfriend’s cheeks, not just from the cold, but also fear and embarrassment, scared you didn’t like the date he’d spent the last three days planning.

“I love it!”

You leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on Fred’s lips, leaving traces of cocoa on them.

“But I didn’t love the part where you made me think I was plunging sixty feet to my death!”

The boy groaned playfully, lying back onto the carpet with his head hanging over the edge.

“I know! I’m sorry! I just thought it’d be exciting! A nice surprise! Besides, did you really think I’d let my lovely little Y/N die? I need you around darling.”

You scoffed, sipping on the hot cocoa as you stared at the Astronomy Tower in the distance, your first and now, final destination of the day, a hand creeping towards Fred’s to hold it in a tight grip, unconsciously afraid he’d fall.

“I don’t know! Maybe this was your ultimate prank! Bring us both to heaven to fight God or something.”

Now it was Fred’s turn to scoff, sitting back up to shove his hands under the blanket, squeezing your hand in return.

“First off, if I ever fought God I’d need George there with me. I don’t think that just the two of us could take him. Secondly,”

Fred cupped your chin with his free hand, bringing you in for a deep kiss, catching you by surprise as you braced yourself on his shoulder with your free hand. His tongue teased your lower lip, making a moan slip out while his tongue entered your mouth. Exploring each other, your entangled hands fell apart- his coming to grasp your neck, bringing you closer to him, yours gripping his hip, drawing circles on the bone.

After what seemed like an hour, but also felt like seconds, the two of you fell apart, breathless as you panted, staring into each other’s eyes.

“I don’t think either of us are making it to heaven darling. Think we’re condemned to hell forever, you and I.”

You looked into his coffee coloured eyes, pupils dilated as he scanned your face, his favourite pastime, memorising every crevice and pore. Your hand found its way to the necklace sitting around your neck, fingering the knot that symbolised eternity in your hands.

“Well if I’m going to burn in hell for an eternity, then I’m glad I’ll be burning with you Freddie.”

[leggomylino]

Sunrise | Hwang Hyunjin

 .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。 .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama, Comedy

AU: Beauty and the Beast au

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x fem!reader

Word Count: ~26k

Warning(s): Minorly dark themes, vague mentions of suicide, sparse censored language

A/N: It’s finally done! <3 | For Kumi, my dear friend. <3

Playlist:

Lighthouse → Hope

forever rain → RM

Tag List: @hanniiesuckle17​ @distrikt9​ @hanstagrams​ @hyunsunq​ @smolboiseavey​ (let me know if you want to be added!)

ღ Stray Kids M.List | M.List ღ 

  .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。 .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

| Zero ❧

It was no lie that Hwang Hyunjin was what he was. A monster. A crook. A fiend. 

But had that been his fault? No. Had it been his intention to piss off the old hag who showed up at his doorstep looking for shelter, who also happened to be a witch?

...Well, yes, technically. But in his defense, he hadn’t known she’d been a witch. He just assumed she was another ex-royal his father’s company had put out of business, bankrupt and seeking reconciliation. Another pawn knocked off the chess board. 

So then was any of this really his fault? 

Not in the slightest.

Late November was when colorful bouts of leaves piled in the corners and around the front doors of Everain Palace, when icy winds took hold from north arctic fronts and chilled all those who inhabited it to the bone, or at least, those unfortunate enough to end up imprisoned in the steely corridors below. Dank, gray shadows fell over the surrounding dark atmosphere of the cold stone walls, seeping in elongated coverage that fell over the once festering city of New Amber, now reduced to nothing but a sickly small town until the return of the harvest season. If anyone even bothered coming back.

It was no secret why no one ever wanted to come back. Everyone knew about the curse. Rumors spread fast, and as the head of his father’s company Hyunjin couldn’t hide his scarred face forever. Afraid of becoming infected, afraid it would spread, half of the town vanished within the first few days. Another half of what was left disappeared over the course of the following two weeks, and the number of residents continued to dwindle even after that, until Hyunjin couldn’t even tell you how many remained as of today, six years later. Ten, maybe twelve royals, some small groups of peasants temporarily settling in until they too were told about the curse, and the dark secrets of the young man who lived beyond its walls.

He was once beautiful until he ticked off the wrong old lady. Now he lives out his days staring at a reflection of who he once was.

The part he hated the most was that he couldn’t deny it was the truth.

“Mirror!” he called, clapping his hands once, twice, three times. “Where is my mirror?! Where the hell did you put it this time?!?”

Begrudgingly with a sigh a shadow cascaded down along the stone wall, manifesting into something three-dimensional only a moment later. Blue hair fluttered softly around smooth, rounded features, a lone earring sparkling faintly in the pale moonlight, accentuating ripped jeans and the confines of a pitch-black hoodie. 

The whole ensemble was tacky and incredibly outdated. “Here…” His shadow said, holding out the small ornate mirror. His contractor grabbed it with anxious greedy hands, claws already beginning to form far too early thanks to the autumn equinox.

He paced away eagerly, collapsing to his corner of comforting feather downs and soft silk sheets, as he stared at a reflection of who he once was, who he used to be. How he would look today had he just pretended not to be home that ill-fated night.

“Jisung!” He barked, glaring angrily over his shoulder. “Come here.”

The boy-shadow sighed once more, nodding slowly as he had no right to refuse the man who had complete control over him. So he slowly sulked over toward the bed, shimmering at the seams as he passed through the inanimate threshold like a waking dream. Carefully his edges began to dissolve, bit by bit, until nothing but a faint air of smoke remained, settling dispersedly around the dim-lit bedroom.

Hyunjin never took his eyes off his past-in-the-present self, who only stared back at him with vacant, mournful eyes. “Show her to me.” he demanded, gently leaning a few inches forward. “Where is she?”

With careful swirls like a rippling tide the mirror faltered, spiraling and transforming the glass picture until the prince’s face was gone, the image of a girl taking his place.

Then another one. Then another one…

The mirror suddenly cracked. His hands tightened around the steel handle, a low growl resonating from behind parted lips curled up in a snarl.

“I’m sorry…” the mirror muttered, Jisung suddenly appearing out of the cracks to stand before him. “She’s still not here. I don’t know what you want me to do abo--”

“I don’t want you to do anything!” Hyunjin snapped, throwing down the mirror and shattering it into a million more pieces. “I just want her here! What’s taking her so long? Where is she?!”

“I--” Jisung winced as a few stray shards transpired through him, the feeling still foreign even after all these years and past mirrors similarly broken. “...I think these things just take time--”

“Time?! TIME?!?” Hyunjin was beyond livid. The moment he stood his servant shrunk back, nearly folding himself into the safe confinements of the old chiseled walls. “Time is something I don’t have. You know this, Jisung. If this goes on any longer I’ll…” His voice trailed off and he gulped, snatching a fistful of hair in his sharp dark claws. “...Why isn’t she here yet? What are you not telling me?”

“Telling you? Wha--”

“Shut up and answer me!” He demanded, slamming the boy against the wall. The poor guy would have sunken through had he, again, not been under such a binding spell. Instead the only thing he could do was resentfully comply, doing all he could to spitefully avoid eye contact. 

“I’m sorry, Hyunjin. I don’t know--”

“You’re working with her, aren’t you?” Hyunjin continued with narrowed eyes. He began to shake him, tightening his chokehold around the boy’s throat. 

Jisung gasped a bit, nails gritting against the echoing stone walls. “I-I really don’...” He tried to choke out. “...I really don’t know. I swear. Honest.”

“Lies.”

The tightening intensified. Jisung felt like he was nearly going to burst.

That’s when he’d gotten the idea.

“Y-You’re right! I lied! I know where she is!”

The moment he was let go Jisung gasped for breath, grateful as the heavy sinking feeling of doom left his vacant bones. Hyunjin blinked once, twice before narrowing his eyes again, taking a careful step back. 

“...I knew you were lying to me. Where is she?”

After holding up his hand for breath, his shadow slowly looked up from his knees, straightening and readjusting his strange, stretchy cufflinks of the hooded cloak he wore. “She’s lying dormant somewhere. I can get her for you.”

“Where?”

“Under...erm,” He awkwardly coughed. “...O-Over that way...out yonder.” 

Hyunjin didn’t seem very keen on the way his servant waved his hand dismissively in the random direction of “out yonder”; but it was a risk he was willing to take. He was desperate. Three more days and...and…

“Fine,” he answered at last, lavishly turning his cape away from him to pace towards the half-opened window. “You have until sunrise to bring her to me. I won’t wait a moment longer.”

“Wha?! But she--”

“Fine! Twenty-four hours. And you better return with the right one, or else.”

He gave a precise gaze over the slender curve of his princely shoulders, and that was all it took for his shadow to sink out of sight into the folds of stone-pressed cement below, the clouds blotting out the last rays of moonlight around them.

| One ❧

“Y/n~ Y/n, hurry up!! C’mon, we’re gonna be late!!”

“Yes, yes, I’m coming…”

Your friend Rei ran another ten yards ahead, impatiently stopping for the umpteenth time for your slow-leisurely pace to match up. “Uuuugh, c’mon already!”

“I said I’m coming…!”

...Sheesh. 

Autumn season. It was the time when the leaves changed their colors, one final requiem of individuality before fluttering away in the cool breeze, carried off somewhere to decompose and fall victim to the circle of life. It was also the time you and your friend Reiya, who you casually referred to as just Rei, spent all hours of the short-lived days travelling from village to town, in order to sell the wares of your fathers’ goods. They were both merchants, you see; it’s how the two of you had met, many years ago. But they were old now, the circle of life creeping up on them as well, and since all the men in your town were either taken or losers not worth your time, each of you vowed to take over the family business, carrying it wherever the wind decided.

...And anyway, neither of you were interested in the prospects of marriage; being tied down? And taking orders from some mustached buffoon? ...No thanks. It’s not that you hated the idea of settling down, just...not in your town. Not at your age. Not yet.

This way, things worked out well-- you and Rei got to travel the continent, avoiding arranged marriage and spending time in each other’s company selling your fathers’ wares and in turn, helping them out. They were free to enjoy a peaceful retirement while you added memories of wondrous places and escaped the evil clutches of a life tied down to a broomstick and a kitchen stove. It was perfect.

...Except for days like now, when you’d both woken up late and were at risk of losing a good place to set up shop. Your bad this time.

“Hurry up!!” Rei whined, doing her famous one-tap-two-step-hurry-up dance. The balls of her slippered feet hardly touched the stone pavement of the path leading to the city, her arms flapping like a chicken as she readjusted the triple-stacked backpack of goods from falling off her bony shoulders. “Let’s go let’s go let’s go!!”

“I told you, I’m coming!” You groaned, having been stuck with cart duty. It may have been nearly empty, but it sure didn’t feel like it. Normally it took two people to steer, in addition to horsepower by your trusted steed, Carrots, but unfortunately…

Carrots had too many carrots last night. And she wasn’t doing so well. 

It wasn’t serious, but it would be at least another few hours before she got it out of her system, so this blissfully unfortunate morning it was you and Rei having to wing it...with you having pulled the short end of the stick.

“Nnnneiiigh,” Carrots groaned from behind you. You gave her a gentle pat while trying your best to nudge the cart over the last hill. 

“It’s alright, girl. We’re almost there. Just a little farther.”

She let out a whine, almost seeming to nod in understanding.

“Ahh, hurry!” Rei called again, making haste for the city gate’s checkpoint line. All merchants and traveling businessmen (or women) were required to have their items evaluated and checked by city officials before being licensed a temporary warrant to sell.

When you made it to the top of the hill, already out of breath, you deflated-- then just about fell over when you saw how long the line was.

Oh man. This is all my fault. We shouldn’t have stayed up so late…

“You look like you could use a hand.”

You turned around to find a tall...ish, slender boy, with hair the color of chocolate and big, round eyes to match. A single silver earring hung from his right ear. “Oh, uh, that’s okay…”

“...Han,” he clarified, gripping one side of the cart. “Han Jisung. Just let me handle this. You should probably go help your friend; she looks like she’s about to fall over.”

You peered around the other side of the small wagon to see that, indeed, Rei was playing a game of balance, swaying a bit too far this way and that as she wobbled on flat calloused feet toward the back of the long line. But you? Leaving your father’s shop in a stranger’s hands? Even if it was in a populated area, and he did seem genuine…

“That’s okay.” You told him, grabbing tighter onto your side. “I can take it myself, I’m used to it. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“...” He blinked at you a moment, doing nothing at all but staring. Just when you were considering calling for Rei to come back, though, he laid off, tossing smooth hands in the air before shoving them in the front pocket of the strange cloak he wore. “Alright, alright. Didn’t mean to scare you or anything. If you insist, I’ll be on my way.”

He let go, and you felt the full weight of the cart pull your body downward, gravity affecting you in the worst way. ...Maybe…

“Um, hold on!” You shouted, and he stopped a quarter of the way down the hill, glancing up at you expectantly from over his left shoulder. Curse him. “Yeah?”

“...” You set your pride and suspicions aside. “...It would actually...well, I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to help. Just to the base of the hill.”

His eyes did the smiling for him, and was back at your side in seconds, taking the right flank while you managed Carrots and the left.

“Mind if I ask you something?” He pipped just steps later, eyes peering at you from over the cart as he jumped like a small puppy trying to see over a counter space. You groaned.

“I suppose I have no choice, so, sure. What is it?”

“Well…” He was beginning to mumble. “I know this may seem kind of sudden but, I have this...friend…”

“No.”

“Huh?”

The cart stopped rolling, delaying your schedule that much farther. “If this is headed where I think it is, I’m sorry but, I’m not interested. I’m very busy and I don’t have time for...love. Or a relationship. Other than the one I share with my customers.”

“Oh! No, no! Hahah…” Han had let go of the cart as well, scratching his cheek. “I-It’s not that! Nothing like that...I…”

His explanation was cut off by your sudden gasp, lunging forward to grab the cart as it started to descend down the steep slope. But it was too late; it slipped out of your grip like butter in a frying pan. “Oh no!”

The cart raced down the hill, gaining momentum and speed the farther it went. Crowds of people gasped as well, jumping and throwing themselves out of the speeding wagon’s path, until…

It reached the bottom, but it kept going. And it was headed right for Rei. 

Horror-stricken, you jolted, racing down whilst cupping your lips to scream out a warning call. “Rei! Look out!!”

Rei turned around. Her eyes widened.

But she remained unscathed. In the blink of an eye something dark and ink-like had raced over the pavement and grass fields; it manifested beneath the wheels, and the cart just...stopped.

“Rei!!” You cried, letting go of Carrots to plunder to her side. She’d fainted, but Han was there to catch her.

Han…

You stared him down nervously from the other side. “...How did you get here so fast?”

He carried your friend to the shade of the forest surrounding the city walls, others whispering and already beginning to spread gossip. You tried to block it out and ignore the intense stares and glaring from eighty-or-so business-competitors, following Rei’s limp body and coming to rest beside it, pulling her head into your lap. 

Though you were out of earshot, the whispering and curious eyes still followed you; so not good for business.

“Hey. I asked you something,” you said again, making sure to keep one eye on him, and one on the cart. “How did you get down there before I did? I didn’t even see you move.”

The strange boy didn’t say anything, save for laughing a bit. He then proceeded to ask you the oddest thing: “A man, or a beast...do you think we have a choice? On what we want to be?”

“What?” Your brow furrowed to form one solid unibrow. “Don’t ignore me. I asked you first. How did you get down there so quickly?”

Still, he refused to answer. “Technically, I asked you first. So you have to answer me.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” you replied, “but I will call for help if you don’t answer me right now.”

Seeing the anger on your face, the boy calling himself Han looked out into the near-distance, at the line steadily encouching forward and now forming a beeline around your abandoned shop. “Well, given that we are out of earshot...it’s not much of a threat, but...still,” he shrugged, almost to himself. “I suppose we wouldn’t want that.”

He set himself down criss cross applesauce, next to Rei’s spaghetti legs. You huffed, attempting to protectively heave her a smidge closer to you. “Alright, well, go on.”

He gave you the goofiest grin. “Well, it’s quite simple, really! I just swooped under the wagon, and jimmied the breaks! Worked like a charm!”

You frowned, not at all appeased with that answer. “You...jimmied the brakes?”

“Yep!”

“And it just...stopped.”

“That’s right.”

“...You dove beneath a speeding wagon and managed to attach yourself underneath?”

“That’s what it sounds like~”

“That’s what it sounds like?!”

“Look, we can point fingers all day at who-did-what, but if you don’t hurry and get back in line, you’re not gonna have any place at all to set up your little shop of knick knacks or...whatever it is that you sell. Is that a snow globe?” He asked, reaching for Rei’s bag. You swatted his hand away.

“...Fine, whatever. Thanks for saving her, I guess…”

“And?”

You pressed a kerchief from your pocket to Rei’s forehead, smoothing ebony locks from her face. “And?”

Han smiled. Again. “You gotta pay me back somehow, right?”

“For doing a good deed? Do I?” You scoffed. “And here I thought you were doing it just to be kind…”

“Well now you know~ ...I mean—“ He swallowed at the glare you gave him. “...What I mean is, I did do it. To be kind. But I’d love if it you could still pay me back by coming with me to—“

“I’m not going anywhere with you or your dumb friend, if that’s what you’re asking. Just save it for the birds.”

Rei was starting to stir, twitching slightly, her eyes squinting in and out of consciousness. You began patting her cheeks and calling her name, but unfortunately, she still wasn’t fully there yet. That, and the annoying man at the other side of her wasn’t finished. “I have a proposal for you,” he stated.

“A proposal?” You didn’t like the sound of that. “...I’m not interested. Look, I’ll just, give you something from my shop, and you can be on your merry way, okay? Here, what about that snow globe you were eyeing before?” You reached over Rei’s body, fishing it out and handing him the novelty. “Take it. It’s yours.”

The glass globe held the contents of a small gray castle, surrounded in a sea of red roses. Han took the globe from your hand, examining the structure and looking almost nostalgically somber as he watched the fake snow fall. “...Thank you, but it’s not what I want.”

“Then what do you want?” You groaned. “Look, just take whatever. I don’t care, it doesn’t matter. I have more important things to worry about right now.”

“...What I want,” Han said, ignoring that last part of your statement, “is for you to answer my question.”

“What? What quest— aah, I told you already, I’m not—!”

“A man, or a beast? As individuals, do we have a choice?”

The way he’d cut you off and stated his query so seriously made your head spin; it certainly caught you off guard, that was for sure. “...I’m sorry...I don’t understand the question.”

“Hmm…” Han thought. “...Imagine you were put under a...spell. A spell that turned you into a hideous monster, with fangs and claws and fur in places you’d never imagined...but it comes and goes, this curse of yours.” He tilted his head. “Are you still human? Or are you now a beast?”

Thoughts slowly circled your mind, not knowing what to think. You had no idea where any of this had come from, the only responses coming to mind countering questions: who is Han, what is he up to, why did he want to know what you thought of such a peculiar idea…

“Well?” He egged, leaning backwards.

“...I...I don’t know,” you confessed, listing your gaze aside. “I really have no idea where you got such a crazy idea from.”

“Okay...then let me ask you this. I’ll help you out.”

What? Help you out?

He leaned forward this time. “Do you think we have a choice? Is it possible to define ourselves as one or the other?”

“Well...yes, I would think so.” Your eyes met his, hoping that if you gave him an honest answer, perhaps he would leave. “We all have a choice— to be monsters, or men. It is not a matter of blood, or a spell, but a condition of the heart.”

You didn’t know it, as you’d turned away; but the moment those words left your parted lips, his eyes shone with the hope of a thousand suns, dawning the horizon after the longest winter storm. 

You’d turned away to shuffle for a bucket and some more handkerchiefs in Rei’s Bag of Wonders, holding out the bucket without turning your eyes away. “I changed my mind. Make yourself useful and get me some water from the nearby stream, or in town, whatever. Just—“

But when you cast your eyes back to where Han was sitting, he was gone.

| Two ❧

“You must have been having one hell of a dream to stay passed out for so long.”

“Ahaha…” Rei buried her fingers in her hair, entangling them in the sea of ebony that flowed behind her and came to a steady delta tied near the ends. “Sorry about that. It was like I wanted to wake up, but I just couldn’t. Like something...some kind of invisible wall was preventing me from doing so.”

“Hmm…”

The two of you had made it into town safely, with little trouble other than what you’d previously gone through with that strange boy, Han. After getting checked in and circling the shopping district three times, your luck finally began turning around when one of the vendors apparently felt ill and decided to turn in early; bad for him, but great for the two of you. The spot couldn’t have been more perfect, either: positioned right in the center of all the hustle and bustle, it attracted plenty of attention, and the moment you set up shop, customers came lining up at the window.

The two of you worked for hours to make up lost time, grinding your fingers to the bone, shuffling around each other to count coins, search for wares, and sign receipts of official purchase. By the time the lunch bell rang, you and Rei were about ready to fall over.

“I’m tired,” Rei moaned, collapsing to her knees and digging under the counter for your grocery supply. Woefully, her hand came back...empty. “Ah, we’re all out of bread! And apples…”

“What about that bag of trail mix you bought two days ago?” You asked while organizing receipts. Someone had to do it, and you knew Rei sure as heck wasn’t going to.

She sighed, shaking her head. “Carrots and I polished it off yesterday. ...Oh, carrots.” Her stomach growled right on cue, a forlorn sigh escaping dry lips. “...I’m so hungry...”

Something about that previous statement made you pause, inclining your head to the right in thought. …Carrots…Carrots…?

...Oh no. Oh hell’s bells, you’d completely forgotten about Carrots!

Without a moment to lose you dropped the stack of receipts you’d been tidying up onto the counter, hopping out of the wagon and running as fast as your boot-clad feet could take you. Your knees were still stiff and exhaustion weighed you down, but you couldn’t allow that to stop you. Not when that poor (dumb) horse was wandering and hopefully still waiting for you.

“Hey!” Rei yelled, her head leaning out the window. “Where are you going?! You forgot your coin purse!” She waved said object in the air, as if asking for a thief to come and swipe it. “I want lemons and some gum drops! I saw a candy shop about a block down!!”

“You can’t have candy for lunch!” You hollered back. “And I can’t right now, you’ll have to get lunch yourself today. There’s something I forgot.”

Her confused expression said everything else for her, but you didn’t have time to chat about lunch plans. You had to get that horse.

You ran with all your might (what little you had left) out of the shopping district, down three blocks, and past the city gate...that is, until a guard stopped you.

“Woooah there, little miss.” The man grabbed your arm, effectively pulling you backward; and he had quite the grip to boot. “I’m afraid you can’t just go hauling eighty out here like that. I’ll need to see some I.D.”

You cast anxiety-riddled eyes to the man, making sure each gesture showcased your anger. “What? To leave the city? ...But I’m leaving, not entering!” Your anxious gaze sought out into the trees, the pastures of bitter decay and spooky autumn silence where Carrots was last seen. “Please, I need to get out there. My horse is missing, I’m afraid I forgot about her after a...mishap...and ended up abandoning her. She’s sick, so I don’t have time to play games!”

“That’s all fine and dandy, ma’am, but rules are rules. Show me your I.D., please.”

“I…! …”

Reluctantly, you yanked your arm away, digging for…

...Nothing, because you’d forgotten your coin purse. The image of Rei waving it with pride and worry left a bitter taste in your mouth. And your vendor verification permit was left in the shop, as well. “...I don’t have any. My permit is with my co-partner, back in the shopping district.”

“Hm. Well, you’ll just have to go back and get it, then.”

“What?! I don’t have time for that!” You turned pleading eyes to the officer, prayerfully searching for understanding alongside a missing horse. “Please sir, she couldn’t have wandered very far. I’ll be right back! I’m only going--”

He shook his head. “Sorry miss, like I said, rules are rules. Because of the recent string of kidnappings, all residents and visitors alike are required to provide valid identification before coming in or leaving city walls. Mayor’s orders.”

You’d been thinking about making a run for it or finding another guard to reason with until the word kidnappings made its way into the conversation. Normally you would have been curious and not too concerned...however… 

...That’s considering you heard it from a local paper floating in the breeze, or along the gossiping grapevine from one vendor to another, one chatty socialite to the next whispering to each other among the lively bustle of city life. Why were you just now hearing about it here? From an officer? How long had this been going on?

In all the questioning silence, you basically forgot about...what was it you were looking for again? “Um, forgive me for prying, but...kidnappings?”

“...E-Er...that’s...” The officer flinched, taking a half step back. “...Um...well...dammit all…” He removed his thick uniform hat, scratching his head a moment before readjusting it to fit tall and proud. He cleared his throat. “...Please forget I said anything. If you wish to leave the city, I’ll need to see some valid I.D.”

“......”

He simply stood there, pretending as if nothing had happened. The only proof you had was the sweat swimming along his forehead, but surely he’d blame that on the nonexistent autumn heat and the fullness of his uniform.

You had no choice but to reenter the masses.

- ❧ -

When you return to the gates, the same officer approved of your vending license (still sweating from that “autumn heat,”) signalling for the men in the tower to let you through. It was late afternoon now, the skyline growing dangerously close to dusk; when you’d returned to shop a while earlier, you couldn’t admit to Rei that you’d lost her best friend next to you (though some friend she was having no idea about the whole thing...), so you were left with little choice but to play along and have lunch until it was time to work again. The late-day crowds were always far less stressful than morning shifts, so confident she would be fine on her own you took back off for the South entrance the moment the work bell rang.

“Carrots...Carrots...looking for a food-poisoned horse…”

Sigh. The words were a groan from your lips as you trudged about a floor of dead leaves and twisted bare tree branches. The skyline was starting to wear thin, every step you took noisy and either resulting in startling a field mouse or alerting a wandering bear out of hibernation of your whereabouts. Not an ideal situation to be in.

I’ve been wandering these woods for three hours now. Dang it, where is she?! ...Normally, Carrots was a good horse; she followed you around, did as told, and when you did lose her (...as this wasn’t the first time…) she stayed put and waited for you to return; like that time in Cresentmoon Harbor (for it was literally shaped like a crescent), when you and Rei had been so distracted by some dashingly handsome fisherman named Minhee and wanted to hear his tales of the rough blue sea that you’d, yes, left your horse astray, where a group of thugs almost snatched her. 

That had actually been a fun day, watching Rei throw apples and trinkets and club the ringleader with his own beatstick. This time, however, you’d known exactly where you left her. You were sure there were no gangs or thugs near a place like this; not a clean-cut, safeguarded place like Westwind...any yet, Carrots hadn’t been there. Not at the top of the hill where you left her, or beneath it, beside it, or anywhere nearby.

...Although...didn’t that cityguard mention something about kidnappings?!

That stupid horse. I knew I should have overruled Rei and named her Dumdum. She went and got herself kidnapped! URGH, I had to go pulling the short end of the stick today--

A sharp wind blew by without warning, causing you to shiver. Mournfully, you wondered if maybe you should turn back and enlist Rei’s help after all...have her summon back that courageous, beatstick-smacking frenzy… 

Oh, but how heartbroken she’d be to hear of Carrot's disappearance! ...It was all for naught, though... 

Carefully, you turned around and began walking the way you came, one step, then two...then stopped. Looking out into the moors, the forest beyond, the stretch of trees and forest decay that went on for miles and miles seemed...different, somehow. It went on for miles and miles and...miles and miles and miles. It didn’t seem to have an end.

I know I didn’t walk that far… Now now, Y/n. Can’t see the forest for the trees, hm? It’s no big deal, I just wandered a bit farther than I thought. I’ll start heading back now.

Because Rei was the fun-loving, clueless bubbly-type, you had to be the strong one (not including Wild, Pissed-Off Rei). You were the confident, analytical, and ambitious of the two. You prefered logic and data, and relied almost whole-heartedly on common sense, with few exceptions. And as any rational person of your nature would, you’d made sure to mark the entire way you’d come; so it was no big deal, wandering out a bit farther than you had intended. 

...Except...

...The first marker never came. Not after five minutes, not after ten. You walked in the opposite direction for precisely 1,000 steps and counting, and all that greeted you were the same exact scene of bare trees and dead leaves. In the same order. In the same tones and volumes and shapes.

It was going to start getting dark in the next two hours. You stopped, thinking. Running numbers. Fishing for data…...fishing…...fish…...Minhee...heheh…

No, no! Staying on track was crucial at a time like this…! 

But you ended up standing there, for another ten, twenty minutes maybe, not sure what to do. There was a strange vibe in the air, you could feel it. The way it wafted through the air and settled on your skin. Rattling your bones. It almost felt like it was bribing you in another direction. 

So you did an illogical thing unlike your nature: you kept walking straight ahead, ignoring it for as long as you could. But dammit, the scenery never changed! Not after an hour, not after two… 

You were tired at this point, collapsing hopelessly by the same tree you passed a hundred times...and then you got an idea, like a fog lifting from your brain (Why hadn’t you thought of this sooner?!). Grabbing a twig, you made a small notch in the tree. Then you took off running, jogging at a brisk pace. Never making a single right or left turn, not even in the slightest. Headed only one direction, following alongside the setting sun.

That same notch bid you a pleasant hello eight and a half minutes later. To make sure it wasn’t just a coincidence, you walked another eight and a half minutes; same notch, same place, same twig resting lifelessly to the right. Same tree.

It was getting dark now. Soon the sun would be completely gone over the horizon, tucked away for twelve hours of sleep before returning to shine light on a new day. And you had no horse to show for it; more importantly, you were lost. Trapped in some kind of...weird bermuda triangle of decaying forest with no sign of life anywhere. 

Great, just great. I hate my luck… wait… 

...Ah, yes. Conveniently, just when you’d thought to possibly scream out your frustrations into your work apron, rattling on about how much luck despises you, and how you despise her back, maybe shed a few tears since no one was around, a tower of billowing smoke caught your attention, a sign of life that hadn’t been there before. 

. . . 

You should have been more cautious. Normally, you would have been. But given recent events…

“Hello…?” You called softly, pushing the door open; though, let’s be honest, the door really seemed to just...open itself. “Is anybody here?”

The house was old and worn. A small cottage just big enough for one, it must have been at some point; now, it was practically all but decayed along with the surrounding forest. Another heap of dead wood and rotted roots among many. A faintly ripe and sickeningly sweet scent wafted about the torn chamber, wrapping around sagging furniture, torn drapes, and a half-caved roof that gave clear sight to the full moon, bulging and cackling in a clouded manner.

It was a stark contrast to the decrepit old woman beckoning you from within. 

“Yes, yes… Come in, my child.”

| Three ❧

A few hours earlier, Han Jisung had just been minding his own business, a faceless shadow of a dark hood browsing Westwind goods, humming a fiery tune, all while coming up with a plan for smuggling an innocent human girl into the cursed city of New Amber. He was pleasantly aware of the time; he had exactly ten hours left before he was due back at the palace, girl in tow, in order to keep his handsome blue-haired head and devilishly charming eyes.

He had time. The two cities may have been four hours apart on horseback, a diagonal stretch of twisted forest and steep valleys between them, but being a shadow he could just-- ...zip...and zig...and...zag...right beneath the… … … 

...He wouldn’t be returning alone. He was transporting a human girl. That had no magical curse or powers to speak. The only way to return was the old-fashioned way...which meant…

He only had half the time he thought he did. Balls.

Making his way through the afternoon crowds, he followed three winding back alleyways before making sure the coast was clear of wandering eyes, seeping into the broken cobblestone and dashing through history below, long forgotten structures and fossils of stories past: a mineshaft, a tavern sign, a snuffed-out bonfire. At just a block away he set out a brisk pace for where he last placed a tracking mark upon the one known as Rei.

It had been a simple plan; since Y/n was impossible to get near, he merely embedded a small tadpole of his shadowy spirit into the other. Since they traveled together, where one was found, the other wouldn’t be far behind. Find Rei, find Y/n.

But beside that fact, it was starting to itch; being without a part of him for too long caused an empty, nagging feeling to rise and fall through his bones like a waxing, waning tide, going back and forth, back and forth. It got downright maddening after a while, almost like an addiction, to the point where eventually, he couldn’t stand to be without himself any longer. If he wasn’t whole, what was he?

...For a shadow...being whole meant everything.

“I see you’re feeling better,” he greeted her, the girl whose life he very well saved. Rei turned around from her stockpile of cash, where she placed many bags of coins in the Candy For Me! ♫ pile and few in the Dumb Taxes :( pile.

“Oh, hey, I know you!” Her face lit up tenfold; an oddity given the fact she should have been unconscious for ninety-percent of their previous encounter... “You’re the guy that saved me before! I thought you looked familiar!”

She threw a tarp over the stacks of cash she’d been organizing before, as if that was going to...protect it, or something. She rested her chin in palm, elbows propped upon the counter space. Smiled.

“So what brings you by? What can I help you with? Oh,” she smirked, wagging a single brow. “Could I interest you in this love potion?” 

A bottle of perfume made its way between them from out of nowhere, dangling like mistletoe. It...Han couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of it. 

“You wouldn’t happen to be looking for Y/n by chance, would you~?” Rei asked.

The proposed bottle had the painted label scratched off, where the replaced paint job read Love Potion No.9, along with a price tag of thirty-five coins. Han chuckled, doing his best to play off the awkward gesture. He had to tear his eyes away from it.

“Thank you, but no,” he stated, gently lowering her arm to the table. The sliver of his missing portion swam back into him, through his fingertips and up his arm, and this didn’t seem to go unnoticed by Rei, though he distracted her into shrugging it off. “I actually am looking for Y/n, if you happen to know where she is? I suppose you’re right about that part, actually.”

“Oh? Really?!” Rei’s face lit tenfold...again. She squealed. “Eeeeek, I knew it! Oh, I just love when this happens!”

Her face thrust straight into his, nearly close enough to kiss. It startled him into backing distance. 

“What is it?!?” She cried excitedly. “What do you need to see her for?! Oh, please tell me it’s to exchange letters! Or trinkets!” She looked like the shadiest business woman ever in the next second. “Y/n may have said she was organizing paperwork, but I knew what was really going on. Tee-hee!”

“...Ahh…” ...Shoot, what the hell was he supposed to say?! This girl didn’t seem like the type to appreciate being let down... “...There’s something I…” He gulped. “There’s something I wish to show her. Before setting out, that is.”

“Oh…” Her frown encased her disappointment. “I see...well, actually…” She twirled a strand of sleek black hair away from her tan complexion. “Y/n left about an hour ago...no, it has to have been longer than that…” Her frown deepened, looking off into the distance. “She took off as soon as lunch ended, and she hasn’t come back yet. I think she said she was looking for something…? But…” 

Now she was looking down vacantly into the counterspace. There was a dull sheen in her eyes.

“...I’m starting to worry. Y/n never just runs off for hours on end like this. It’s not like her at all. ...What if something…”

Han put a stop to that thought: one, because he hated seeing girls cry, and two, because he could tell she was the messy-crier that would get snot and tissues everywhere, including his hair and earring; also there was three: his ass on a silver platter, courtesy of His Angry-Cursed-Forever Highness. If he failed to secure Y/n…

He didn’t wanna think about it. Which is why he swiftly set Rei upright, patting her shoulders and promising that he would go out and look for her. She couldn’t have wandered far, seeing as her whole livelihood was on the line (and in the hands of someone like Rei…whom he didn’t know that well, but still…)

“Can you give me an idea of where she may have gone? Which way did she go?”

“Yeah, sure! She went that way, and, oh yeah, she took our vending license with her! Do you think she could have gone to City Hall, maybe…?”

It was unlikely. City Hall was in the other direction, to the north-east; and according to Rei, Y/n had ventured south. The only thing there was lower-class common folk and the city gates, meaning the only conclusion he could come to was that she needed to verify her legitimacy in order to continue business, or she needed out.

After questioning some guards under a guise of glamour and shade (which was necessary for...private reasons), he was at last directed to a middle-aged man who claimed to have allowed the girl to leave some three to four hours ago. Before they could get an answer out of him as to why he wanted to know, Han vanished into the shadows like a thief in the night, slipping through the straying crowds towards the nearest alleyway, where he plopped down, zipped below, and popped right back up on the other side of the great city wall.

Removing his hood, he looked around, scanning the area for any clues of Y/n’s whereabouts. But, of course, nothing.

Dammit, it was getting late! It was already late!

Han bit his nails, fuming. Pacing. He was going to be in so much trouble if he didn’t…!

...Sigh. Screw it all. He’d just have to look for her. If he found her fast enough, he could come up with some plan to make it back to Everain before sunrise.

He began his search heading South, into the clamour of trees. Past one tree, two, five, twenty. Deeper and deeper he traveled, gradually becoming one with the earth and expanding his search among the elements. Beneath the earth, brushing against roots of trees and flowerbeds, he could “see” everything-- as far as a twelve mile radius. 

His shadowed extensions stretched over the land, covering all ground within reach like the hands of a clock, time traveling faster and faster until…!

...He found it. Er, her. His senses zoomed in on a house, caved in from years of age and resentment, crumbling to dust even now outside the confines of Y/n...and……someone else…

...Someone he knew.

Out of breath, he nearly choked in the enclosure of his own realm, eyes wide and heart frozen stiff. It took every last bit of strength to push himself free, for he couldn’t escape fast enough; not when a demonic witch like her was around. 

Except...he’d started to run the wrong way. And then he stopped entirely, unable to move.

He hated that decrepit old hag. After everything that happened...the magic, the sorrow, the black fires of hell...he wanted nothing to do with her. He’d sworn that the moment he saw her again, it would be too soon. The witch that had taken his humanity.

It was she who had cast them all to hell in a handbasket, after all.

Standing there beneath the blotted night, gentle caresses of wind cascading and percolating through strands of brown and blue, he looked down to his bare hands, setting focus to the rivets of small scars where rivers of shadow flooded his veins.

A knock at the door. A sneer. A warning glare.

He tightened his grip on the air, so free and billowing carelessly in contrast to him.

A push. A harsh remark. A confident smile.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

Anger… Resentment… Fire…

And…then…

He gasped for air once more. Not now. Now was not the time to think. He needed to act, to push all of this past him. It was the only way to break the curse and save Hyunjin, and in return, himself. The entire palace of Everain— the whole city, perhaps— was counting on him.

...Shadow. The only thing I remember...is black.

 Cringing, he threw caution to the wind, where fear was meant to reside with the birds.

- ❧ -

The house was as old and vile as the woman who lived there. Vines snaked and slithered their way around the entire enclosure like a brood of thorned vipers, between cracks in the wall panels and over the steps leading to a gaping front door, just asking to trip its prey into it’s dark clutches. Into her clutches; those wrinkled leathered hands dripping with metaphorical blood and darkness.

Han hated all of it. He’d known about the Witch’s home for a long time, but he refused to ever step foot on her accursed soil (...until now, that is). The problem was, her biome was always changing, shifting and teleporting all over the place. Few unlucky souls who had survived to see it dubbed it Howl’s Moving Castle.

That title entirely ruined the book for him. Not that he particularly enjoyed reading, anyway; but he refused to lift it or so much as look at the book’s spine resting in the lavish, dusty library back home.

“Hey,” he called, marching right in. There wasn’t time for cold feet or second thoughts; if he didn’t have Y/n, there would be no point in going back. Returning without Y/n meant certain death via Hyunjin, but going through the Witch’s Biome meant likely death via whatever disdainful plot the Witch could come up with. At least facing the Witch’s path, he had a slim chance of making it out alive. If he were fast enough.

He’d thought about it on the way over: before, he had no powers to speak of. He’d been a regular, average teenage boy just trying to make it up and through adulthood, figuring out what he wanted to do with his life. But with the Witch’s curse, all that changed; he was essentially one with the darkness; and darkness was everywhere. Especially here. 

Assuming Y/n was conscious and able to move, he calculated that with high enough confidence and self-esteem, he should have no problem distracting the foul old hag long enough for his last hope to escape. (And Lord knew he had plenty of that to go around...)

Darkness clouded the entire room, choking out all light save for a few small rays of moonlight. The temperature seemed to be dropping 10 degrees every second. “Hello?” He tried again, checking left, right. “I...I know you’re here. Witch.” He was already beginning to seethe. “Come out. Where is Y/n?”

There was no response. Nothing creaked, no one croaked. Not even the wind outside made a sound.

Then something darted behind him, to the right, and he parried the opposite direction, biting his lower lip. Here it came. The worst part.

A single field mouse made its way into the faint slivers of rooftop moonlight. And there it sat, perched on its hind legs, whiskers twitching and tail dancing rhythmically across the uneven floor.

“How do you like?” came a creaky frail voice from beyond. Her voice was a sour note to his ears.

Han gritted his teeth, tasting blood on the horizon. “I’m not here to rate your latest experiments,” he spat. “That better not be Y/n. Show yourself, now.”

A lingering moment passed before the fleabag chuckled, stepping ancient bones into the small pool of light. “Alright, alright,” she said, in a mockingly chiding tone. “No need to get so angry. That’s what got your friend into so much trouble, after all. And look what it did to you.”

Two minutes in, and she was already hitting a nerve. Nerves that needed to remain untouched were his plan to go smoothly. “Don’t tell me what to do. I don’t take orders from you. You already ruined me. What more could you possibly do?”

A dark foreboding thought brewed up a storm in her eyes, just lingering on the edge of sanity. “Believe me,” she rasped, “I showed you both mercy.”

Han flinched. He couldn’t help it. He wanted to explode, yet cower in terror, all at once. He was livid, yet terrified-- anxious-- and a little sick to his stomach. “Give me Y/n. Right now. I didn’t come here to chat.”

The old woman smiled. “I can’t,” she simply stated, not moving an inch.

“Why not?!”

“Because you’re standing on her.”

Horrified, Han shot his gaze downward. Corsarn, he didn’t think he’d been standing on anything but the…!

But there was nothing but paled wooden planks. The Witch laughed. “Ahahah, not physically on her, dear. Though this house is so old, you may as well be...I’m surprised the floors haven’t caved in to match the roof.”

After holding her gaze a moment too long, he took a step back, flitting his eyes between Witch and supposedly underground wardrobe. “Open the door. Slowly.”

“Oh, so now I’m supposed to be taking your orders?” She scoffed, sighing at the end. “My, how times have changed…”

“Just do it!” he ordered.

The Witch gave a stern, slight scowl. “Oh, fine. I’m out of enough magic to put another curse on you anyway,” she muttered. Tapping her ancient walking stick once, twice upon the rotting floors, something clicked below, and the square space where Han had been standing swung open. “Just so you know,” she added, “I took the liberty of having a little fun, as you probably already guessed. She’ll be out for a few hours, but I don’t foresee death in her future; at least, not in the near one,” she chuckled.

“You--!” ...Rrgh. He still had to bite his tongue. His lip was already going to be busted and sore tomorrow. 

Trotting down steadily with caution, before the gaze of a putrid old smile he descended the hidden staircase, never once letting his guard down. The girl he sought was safely snoozing in one piece, lying like a waking dream...other than being unconscious.

He gathered her up, using shadow to cross the room, just in case a trap was lying dormant on the way over, and with Y/n in his arms, he almost thought about attempting to drag her into the Shadowworld with him, just so he didn’t have to face the old has-been again and make a clean getaway.

But it was too risky. And likely, it wouldn’t work; so carefully, he placed one nimble foot in front of the other, across the blank room, up the stairs, and into the familiar darkness from moments before. The Witch was still waiting for him, still as a statue in the exact location she had been. She followed him all the way to the door, tittering at his suspicion of the whole thing. 

She then watched as they made it off the porch. “Here,” she announced, sensing his urgency; for he’d just been about to make a run for it before she called him.

Nervously, he turned around halfway, holding Y/n tighter.

The bat continued her chuckling. She scooped down surprisingly swift, tossing something gray and furry into the air. It landed haphazardly onto his arm, clinging for dear life to his sleeve with a faint squeak! before scampering up to his shoulder. “Take him,” she said, making a shooing motion with her hand. “I have no need for the pitiful thing. He can keep you company on your way back.”

Company? Oh, no no no. He didn’t think so. He wasn’t stupid; Han knew of her tricks. The rat was probably a spy, or some kind of ticking time bomb. Forcefully, he shifted his grip on the girl, snatching the creature from its place--

...Except, he meant to throw it back. He did. He would have tossed the wretched thing to the ground and stomped on its brains without a second thought.

But it’d cried. Shrieked. Wailed. He knew the sound of terror when it howled.

Glancing up, he saw that it was crying. Actually crying.

Something was off. It had to be human...or at least, have some sort of intelligent wit.

Loosening his grip, he allowed the creature to squirm and wiggle its way free, scampering up his arm and tucking itself fearfully in the pouch of his hood with a nosedive. Sensations of trembling fell against his upper backside.

“Take care on your way home; you may need it.” 

A twisted smile. Tch.

Glowering amongst the laughter, he left the darkness behind him.

| Four ❧

“How may I assist you, dear?” The old woman asked.

Your eyes scanned the area, dilating and adjusting to the faint light. “I’m sorry,” you began, giving a small, polite bow. “I didn’t know anyone was home.”

“Oh, now, that’s alright~” The woman insisted, beckoning you farther in. “Come, come, sit! Make yourself a home. I’m the one who invited you in, yes?”

“...” Carefully you nodded, moving with caution to take a seat at the dusty worn table. 

“Now,” she said, popping joints as she settled across from you. “What can I do for you today?”

“...Do for me?”

She chuckled. “Yes, yes…” Her eyes were impenetrable, boring into yours. You had trouble looking away. “No one comes here without a purpose. There are no happy accidents.”

“......” Again, you found yourself hesitating, having trouble forming the right words. Words were becoming a limited resource all of a sudden. 

“Well~?” the woman pressed.

“...” You swallowed dryly. Something just wasn’t right; but who were you to lie to an old woman? In her own home, nonetheless. “I’m looking for someone...my horse, actually.”

“Hmm, I see…”

“She wandered off...well, no, that’s not true.” You sighed. “I left her by accident. I abandoned her without meaning to, out front of Westwind city. We’d woken up late, my friend and I, and in our hurry and a near-death experience thanks to someone, I ended up forgetting all about her. When I went back to fetch her and bring her home, she was gone.”

“Oh, my…” The old woman was still smiling. “That sounds like some adventure the two of you had! Though, tell me…” She tilted her head. “Who is this “someone” that got in your way?”

“Hm? Oh,” You sighed, again. “Some strange boy that just showed up out of nowhere and offered to help me move the cart downhill. He’s no one special.”

The woman chuckled. “Well, he must be to have stepped up and offered you assistance in this day and age,” she replied. “What was his name?”

There was an intensity you didn’t like. As if she were interrogating you for answers. 

Dryly, again, you swallowed.

“Han-something, I think. Han...Jisung.”

That’s when it had been over. But you hadn’t known that; not yet.

“Han Jisung…” The woman repeated. She was clearly searching the archives. 

Then she found what she was looking for, and curving crooked fingers skyward, she beckoned your hands to be placed atop of her on the table.

“Give me your hands, dear. I know just what it is that you need.”

If only you hadn’t listened to her… 

- ❧ -

You were no fool. You saw what the witch had done to you, just before falling unconscious.

Stirring now, you curled into the weight of something dark and soft, something sheltering and warm against the cold night air. Whatever it was held you tighter, the world slowing down.

“Y/n? Are you alright? Can you hear me?”

Ow. Yes.

One of the side-effects must have been a splitting headache…

“Yes...I can hear--”

Rrpt! Hold on a second. You knew that voice…!

In all haste you shot upright, only to collide foreheads with Han Jisung, the both of you growling in pain. Your headache just got ten times worse.

“Ow…! Sh*t, of all times and places…” After counting one, two Mississippis for the pounding to decrease, you sent him a glare, blurry vision mixed with clouded judgement. “What are you doing? What’s going on, where are you taking me?!”

The foolish boy snorted, ignoring you to continue walking. As your eyes cleared of drowsiness, you could see the two of you were alone, out in the middle of the forest. “A simple thank you wouldn’t hurt, y’know. I did just finish saving your life a few hours ago.”

“You…?” Hesitantly, you looked around again, pressing a hand to your forehead in feeble attempt to decrease anymore throbbing heartbeats. “...Where are we? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Put me down this instant.”

“You sure do ask a lot of questions for someone who was just cursed and knocked out.”

“I said, put me--! …” 

You paused. The whole world seemed to.

Carefully, slowly, you turned your face back towards the sunlight. “...Wh...What did you say?” 

Han snorted. Again. “You heard me. You waltzed right into the Witch’s Biome like an idiot, and now you’re one of us. I don’t know what I’m going to tell Hyunjin…”

...You’d stop listening towards the end. Everything just naturally tuned out, your eyes falling aimlessly to stare vacant holes into the dimensional rift of the traveling space around you. 

“In case you’re wondering,” Han’s voice cut through, calling for your attention once more. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m taking you to my friend; well, he’s really more of my...uhm…”

You waited vacantly for an answer.

“...Uhhh…”

You didn’t have time for this. Not that anything mattered or made sense anymore. Still, you weren’t going to idly sit here and listen to Tweedle Dee make dumb noises the rest of the night. “He’s what?” you pressed, aggravation clearly showing. “Is he your master or something?”

Han Jisung nearly dropped your hungover cursed arse. Which told you you were right, even if he kept insisting you were wrong. It was pretty funny to see him fuming and hot under the collar the rest of the walk.

Speaking of walking, you had fidgeted and demanded to walk by yourself, but after nine nos and a tenth yes, you found you had absolutely no strength in your wobbly, jelly-like legs. Resulting in Han carrying you like an unfortunate groom once more.

Yes, you’d argued for him to take you back. But no, he refused.

Which meant he had to be that kidnapper the city guard mentioned after all.

This lead you to be afraid, and rightly so; what if Han killed you?! What if he actually was dangerous, and he had been lying to you from the start. Nothing he’d been saying up until this point made sense anyway; and just look at the way he was dressed. Only crazy people wore such strange, unusual attire, so futuristic and bizzare-looking. 

And, you noticed, the closer you got to...wherever he was taking you...the more and more his appearance changed.

It was gradual, slow at first; just a random strand of hair, a speck of color in his eye that hadn’t been there before. Then, out of nowhere, it was like time sped up around him, and his eyes became a solid, bright blue, his hair a darker contrast, and that lone earring he wore shimmered with a paradoxical bright darkness, like shadows giving birth to light.

It was...insanity. Yet, regrettably, you had to admit he’d grown incredibly attractive. 

Han didn’t speak much the second half of your trip, and neither did you. You were too busy trying to process what was happening, and he was lost in his own world, eyes never leaving the road ahead except to occasionally check on you. It was a nonverbal communication: Are you still doing okay? / Yes, I’m fine. Quit staring at me. / Yeah, okay, you’re welcome.

About two hours later, the two of you arrived at the gates of an old, rustic castle, and a city that looked all but lost.

| Five ❧

Your headache had at last subsided by the time you arrived at Everain Palace. ...Or at least, that’s what the sign said it was called. You were barely able to read it through the layers of rust and vines, however. “This is the place?”

“Yep,” your entourage announced, setting you down beside him. “It’s been a few hours now, so you should have the strength to walk again, at least to your room. But I’m sure I can get some lackey somewhere to carry you the rest of the way if you can’t manage.”

“Hold on...what?”

“What?”

He finished setting you down, and you wobbled your way back a few steps, leaning against the gate’s archway for support. “I’m not staying here. I can’t. I have to get back to Rei and find Carrots, my stupid horse. Then, I’m renaming her Dumdum and we’re sweeping all of this under the rug.”

Instead of laughing, or perhaps getting a little angry even, Han Jisung stared at you with the most pitiful glance anyone had ever given another human soul. It was dreadful, but soft, somewhat loving, and oozing with regret.

And then he said those abysmal words you were scared of hearing all along.

“I’m sorry, Y/n. But I’m afraid you won’t be traveling anywhere anytime soon.”

You stared at him dumbfounded. This was it, you thought. The truth revealed. He really was a kidnapper; and now, you were his next victim. The whole charmingly dopey and idiotic act had been just that: an act. And you’d fallen for it.

So you did the next thing you could think of, seeing as fighting and running away were out of the question in your weak and disoriented state.

“KIDNAPPER!!!” You screamed. “THIEF! HUMAN TRAFFICKING!! HELP!!!”

But soon you remembered your surroundings, where you were at this time: a rundown city that appeared to have been abandoned for years, closed off in an eternal slumber. Everything was covered in vines and dust, and hardly anything made a sound.

You were doomed.

Han rushed over quick to keep your mouth shut while sweating at the seams, but a chomp to his hand did him right good, and while he was bouncing around and airing out his hand like a blubbering buffoon you tried making a run for it. Keyword: tried.

In the end, you only made it as far as the circle of trees isolating this town before something pierced the back of your neck, and you were a prisoner of sleep all over again.

- ❧ -

You aren’t quite sure; perhaps you slept for eight, nine hours. All you knew is that when you awoke, there was sunshine pouring through the curtain-laced window like the brightest waterfall.

A...curtain-laced window...and silk sheets… … … 

You hopped to it the next second that thought circled your mind.

No. Oh, no…

...This certainly wasn’t your room. Your room was with the stars, the ocean, the grassy plains and trees, Rei at your side. This was an actual room, complete with a bed, canopy, dresser and wardrobe, a nightstand, and an additional table with matching chairs, four to be exact; two large windows, standing side by side at opposite ends of the room to your left. One beside the table, one near the door.

There was a note left for you on the nightstand (to your left) as well.

Y/n -

I’m sorry I had to knock you out like that. But you’re one of us now, and I can’t afford to let you leave. It’s important. Lives are at stake. You have to trust me, please.

There’s someone I’d like for you to meet. More like I need you to. I’ll explain more later, when you’re awake. If you read this and you still don’t feel well, feel free to take another couple of hours to yourself, to get your bearings; but don’t sleep for too long. I’ll wake you when we’re more pressed for time.

Again, I’m really sorry about all this. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me, but I get it if you need more time. Just promise not to take it out on Hyunjin, if you happen to run into him first.

Signed, Han, your kidnapper

There was an additional piece of paper that fell from behind the original.

P.S. - That was just a joke. Don’t freak out. I’m not a bad guy, really. At least, not as bad as you probably think I am.

…

You didn’t know what to think of anything anymore. This was all just too much. What on earth had happened to you? How did you get roped into all of this? ...You’d just wanted to find Carrots, and bring her home so Rei wouldn’t be sad and you wouldn’t feel guilty and the two of you could save the trouble of having to buy a new horse, train him, yadda yadda yadda. Instead you stupidly and ill-fatedly stumbled upon the home of an actual witch, walked right in, and told her things you probably shouldn’t have. You didn’t like the way she’d looked at you when you mentioned knowing Han Jisung.

The Mark of the Rose, the witch had slurred, eyes wide with a sinister grin. A blessing, and a curse.

Then she’d spouted some sort of riddle:

When sunrise comes and all is lost, Look upon the oldtown cross There you’ll find just what you seek This aging woman’s prophecy But if yet still you manage to bend And find and seek what storm’s may rend May fortunes smile and bring you light For the many remaining days of your life

...She hadn’t told you what the heck any of that was supposed to mean. For one, how could plaguing you with a mark from some wicked sorcery be a blessing?! And, what’s more...how was it a curse…? ...Her strange chanting hadn’t made any sense, though that last part had sounded nice...maybe that was the blessing?

Something made a skittering, scuffling sound. Turning to your left, something small and fuzzy caught your eye, climbing up a chair leg and coming to rest on the cushion above. It was...holding a crumb of cheese. Sitting there like a person, flat on his bum.

It was some kind of rodent.

You bristled all over, hair standing on end. “A RAT!!!” You shrieked, leaping from bed to dresser. Thankfully it had been bare atop the surface, minus the unlit candle and some kind of ornate mirror, which was an unfortunate accident. Seven years of bad luck was just what you needed, on top of everything.

The moment you let out a cry of alarm, the mouse similarly screamed-- possibly louder than you-- spasming out of the chair and running in circles with sweat flying from its brow until it ran into another chair leg and clocked out, rolling into the path of sunlight.

You’d been about to grab that discarded candle as a weapon until the room became incredibly bright. Clouds parted from outside, sunlight magnifying to flood the whole room. 

And then, when the sunlight narrowed to pierce the unconscious vermin straight through its heart, he became a boy. 

Hair the color of sunset and cheeks flushed rosy pink, full of freckles scrunched his nose, squinted, and wearily stared back at you, upside down. Prayerfully, by some miracle, he was still wearing clothes.

That didn’t change the fact that you had no idea what to make of this sudden development. You stood there, hunched frozen atop the dresser, candle half off the floor and jaw nearly there.

“Hn-- nnnngh…” he groaned, sitting up with a hand to his head, much like you had leaving the Witch’s Biome-- that’s what Han had called it, right? “...Ouch...that’s the last time I go exploring on my own…” He glanced at you over his shoulder, giving a kind, tired smile. “Thanks for turning me back! I’m sorry I scared you, Y/n.”

Your candlestick went flying across the room. 

“OW!!!”

“WHO ARE YOU?! HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?!” you yelled. An accusatory finger followed. “This isn’t funny, and I’ve been through enough now! I’m sick of playing games, give me an answer right now or I’m throwing this broken mirror next!”

The door burst open. “What’s going on in--?! …”

Han Jisung was staring at Mouseboy curiously at first, widen eyes unblinking, you on the dresser second, a careful blink there...but the moment his eyes landed on the cracked mirror, he fell to his knees, hands in his hair.

“OH SH*T!” He shrieked, panicstricken all over. His voice was more pitched than (should be) possible. “What the hell did you do?! Who did this?!?”

Innocently, Mouseboy pointed to you, as if he had any right to be part of the blame game. “It was an accident, though,” he vouched (like that was supposed to make it better!). “I did the same thing when I woke up and saw myself an hour ago; you should have seen it, I broke five of those things! Talk about unlucky!”

He laughed. Han screeched, looking like The Scream. “YOU DID WHAT?!?!”

There was going to be a river running through the room by the time he finished sweating, pacing all over the place while nearly showering the floor and furniture with strands of blue hair. Mouseboy scratched his speckled-cheek, shifting to rest on the calves of his brown-clad work pants (He’d obviously been some kind of farm or errand boy before all this). “S-Sorry about that...it was an accident, really…” He bowed his head. “I-I can maybe get my boss to cover any property damage, but man, I’ll be working forever to pay it off…”

He sighed. You almost (almost) felt bad for him. But it was gonna take a lot more than just looking cute and pitiful to sway your emotions.

When at last he’d finished his...episode...Han stood from where he’d kneeled in prayer on the pinewood floor, swiping a hand over his face, shaking it off, and placing determined hands on his hips. “Okay,” he declared. “It’s alright. I’ll just have to convince Jeongin to pull an all-nighter and fix everything. Good thing he knows a thing or two about craftsmanship!”

Jeongin? …

You faltered, repeating the name curiously as you hopped off the dresser, now that the vermin crisis was over. Thankfully, your absent-mindedness didn’t cost you any cuts or bruises, seeing as there very well could have been shards of broken glass on the floor…

Han smiled your way, nodding. “Yeah, that’s right. We have a lot of introductions to get out of the way, so if you’re ready...well, you might want to get dressed first.”

Even more curiously, you looked down to examine yourself.

An eggshell, lace nightgown greeted your eyes.

�� … … 

Who changed you...?!?!

| Six ❧

“Right, so,” said Han, pointing to each stranger in a misfit-lineup. “This is Seungmin, Jeongin, and...Felix, right? ...Yeah, okay, Felix.” He smiled, gesturing to you next. “Family, this is Y/n.”

Everyone either waved or bid you their own form of greeting, some shy, others more open. Now dressed in a sea-green gown with white-lace trim and possibly the most gaudy over exaggerated bow in the back (smaller, matching ones on your shoes and hair), you did your best to curtsey, though it was awkward and embellished to say the least, and really you’d just used it as an excuse to hike up your quarter-calf socks that refused to stay put. “Yeah, alright...nice to--”

“And this...is Hyunjin.”

The air got a little colder all of a sudden; both metaphorically and otherwise. You glanced up from rebuckling the annoying Mary Jane’s on your feet. Froze.

A tall, slender man stepped forward from where he’d been leaning against the wall beneath the cloak of shadow in the hallway. Now, stepping forward in the light of a grand, deserted chapel, his dark hair combed back by rough fingers pressed for time, he was…he was… 

He was staring at you as if you’d hung the moon in the sky. His eyes were so round and...big. Practically moons themselves.

“......” Han cleared his throat, voicing everyone else’s discomfort. “Yes, well...okay, then. This is great! See?!” He motioned to you as if you were some kind of showcase prize. “I brought her back, just like you asked! Now there’s no need to do anything rash or bloodthirsty! Hahah…hah…! …”

Everyone was strangely silent. Looking at each face in turn, though many were staring at you, none could look you in the eye; and no one dared to so much as peek in this Hyunjin fellow’s direction. In fact, the red-headed boy, Jeongin, seemed...almost...rather afraid.

“Hang on,” you interjected (though there was nothing but silence for sometime now). The gears in your mind cranked back to the letter folded messily on the nightstand: Lives are at stake. I need you to meet someone. “So you’re saying you brought me here because...your friend wanted me here?” You huffed. “I don’t understand. You said that lives were at stake. Who’s dying?” 

Quiet. A somber aura fell over the small gathering; maybe that had been a little brash of you to ask outright…

But you needed answers! Why were you here? What was going on? “...Han,” you said, and instantly the boy looked up at you. “Why did you bring me here? What’s going on? …” You scanned the other four faces of boys around you. “What did you mean when you said...I was…” You shook your head. Doubts were flooding in like a dam had just snapped. “This better not be a set up.”

...More quiet. Han cleared his throat once more, stepping back in line. He had no answers to give; his features only hardened. The other three boys in line were looking anywhere else-- the floor, the walls, the ceiling. Oh, look at that beautiful glass window up there. And look at that one!

Hyunjin just kept on staring at you as if staring right through you; like he couldn’t comprehend your existence. He was completely locked in a trance.

After you’d carefully righted yourself, and had just begun turning away to get the heck out of Dodge, it was Seungmin that spoke next. “You’ll have to forgive him,” he called, scratching his head. You turned around. “It’s been a while since any of us have seen another human being before, nonetheless one that isn’t cursed--”

Han flinched, just out of the corner of your eye. Twitch. “...Oh, you mean…”

Your eyes locked with Hyunjin’s, still stuck in outer space. Seungmin nodded. “Yeah...and as for him--” He flicked his eyes on Han. “He’s just stupid.”

“Hey!” The man protested. Seungmin simply rolled his eyes. 

“Well it’s true! I bet you failed to explain anything that’s going on to this poor girl. Just look at what you made her wear!” He gestured rather violently to your ridiculously (somewhat childish) outfit. “She looks like she stepped out of a dollhouse. The cheap, tacky kind they used to sell down the street at Aunt Marie’s.”

“Um, actually…” You scowled. “I dressed myself. There wasn’t much to go off of in the closet other than old-era gowns and...well, that was basically it. Speaking of which, though…”

You stomped forward. Everyone (minus Trancy) jumped. 

“Which one of you changed me before?! I don’t recall wearing or even owning some fancy nightgown before getting the lights shot out of me.”

Seungmin’s jaw slacked. “You drugged her too?!”

“Only because she was trying to escape!” Han griped. “I didn’t want to have to shoot her! Besides, it wasn’t like I used anything heavy…”

“Still,” Red-headed Jeongin said, siding with his buddy. “What would Hyunjin say if he weren’t lost in his thoughts again? And did you even consider Y/n?”

Han scoffed. “I brought her back, didn’t I? I’m pretty sure that’s all that matters.”

“Regardless,” Seungmin spoke, “You still basically brought her here against her will. That’s kidnapping. I’m pretty sure the curse isn’t going to--”

“Hello?!” you yelled, waving your arms. “I asked you all which one of you changed--! …”

Your eyes landed on Felix. The boy blinked, innocently processing, then bloomed another shade of rosy pink. “O-Oh, no…!” He waved his hands. “It wasn’t me, honest! I’ve been stuck as a mouse since last Tuesday! A-Also, you were already...I-I mean, I suppose if it wasn’t you, someone else had already…”

His voice trailed off; too modest, and he had a solid alibi. It couldn’t be him. In the background, Han and Seungmin were still arguing, with Jeongin occasionally chiming in to support Seungmin’s case.

“Let me guess,” Seungmin mused, arms crossed. “You probably stole them from Lady Verena down the road.”

Han made an urk! sound. Seungmin sighed.

“I knew it...no wonder she’s dressed so gaudy…” He and Jeongin turned to you with kind eyes. “Listen, Y/n. We’re really sorry about all this. If you need anything, from now on come to me or Jeongin. We’ll be sure to take care of you. Heck,” he grumbled, “even the new guy Felix could have done a better job…”

Felix smiled awkwardly. You and Han both fumed; for different reasons. “That’s not what I--!”

A low growl cut through the lowly-chaotic atmosphere. Everyone ceased their bickering.

The assumed head of the palace had awoken.

- ❧ -

He walked circles around you. Circles and circles and circles… 

You were starting to get more than a little dizzy.

“Fascinating…” Hyunjin mused. It was as if he were the only one in the room, and you were merely a lifeless figurine on display. While he spun himself into further insanity and far too strong curiosity, Seungmin and Jeongin both sent you sympathetic looks to “hang in there” and “just go with it.”

But you didn’t want to go with it. You wanted to go out-- away-- back home to the caravan, to the wagon that had Rei and Carrots and all your useless junk people gave life to, and you a profit. “I’m sorry,” your voice cut the mostly vacant air, save for the headmaster’s mumbling and strangely heavy breathing. “Am I missing something here? If you like or...don’t like my outfit, just tell me and I can either say “thank you” or change and we can all move on to more important topics, like, say...why I’m here? What’s going on?!”

Hyunjin froze a quarter of the way to facing you from the left, his brown eyes strangely wide (though really, everything about this man was strange). In the back, Seungmin and Jeongin once again made faces attuning to the atmosphere; in this case, nervous frowning.

They were all treating Hyunjin like some sort of ticking time bomb. Han obviously feared and weirdly resented him, it was plain and simple on his face, and even Felix was picking up something about this guy that you couldn’t sense. When he wasn’t distracted by colorful art or the dirt under his nails, he was sending highly strung vibes his way.

...In all honesty, you weren’t sure why you didn’t just walk out. Nothing was stopping you...really. There was a clear path from here to the great big hallway Han had escorted you down, Felix in tow, and from there a million other doors, all leading to someplace that had to be better than here. One of them-- at least five, or ten-- had to lead to some winding hallway that would take you to the great outdoors.

Just when you’d thought to inquire further on that, Hyunjin finally began speaking, and not mumbling. “You appear to be real…but…”

He closed the (little) distance he’d given you in a single stride, and without warning placed both his hands on your shoulders...very...tentatively. Then, he trailed his fingers up to your cheeks.

You latched onto his wrists, on instinct. A synchronized gasping chorus filled the room like a daytime tragedy soundtrack.

But Hyunjin did nothing, if not for widening his eyes yet again to stare into the depth of your face like he was amazed at your reaction. Like it wasn’t normal or something.

“Hyunjin,” spoke Seungmin, “perhaps it would do you well to give the girl-- Miss Y/n-- her space. She is a human, just like the...er...ahem.”

...That was a sour note.

“Actually…”

All eyes were on Han except yours. Even Hyunjin snapped out of his trance to glare skeptically with concern, with Seungmin having to carefully pull him away so you could stop smelling his pungent breath.

“...Ahaha...ahahahahaha…” ...Han wilted. “I sorta...maybe...well, okay, I didn’t do it, but--”

“What did you do?” Hyunjin spoke. All eyes flew to him, then back at Han in anticipation. Like some sort of thriller novel. The daytime tragedy continued. Maybe you were in a tragic play of some sort, and there was a hidden audience just waiting to jump out and announce that you’d officially been pranked.

“………” He took a breath. “TheWitchcursedhertoo…!”

And then he covered his mouth, wincing moments too soon. 

The decaying chapel gasped. Hyunjin’s face turned hard, then slowly, bewitchingly, menacing.

“She did what?!”

Jeongin’s eyes went wide. “Y-You’ve been cursed too?” he asked, mournfully, almost with pity. Everyone appeared to display a sadness teetering on the edge between fear and hopelessness.

It was insane how quickly the airspace had shifted; though nothing normal had happened yet, everything had at least been more or less steady. Now, it was as if the room had been thrown off its hinges at the mention of the woman...the Witch. Which you were hoping had been a dream, but seeing as Felix was here, and Han bringing it up...definitely not.

Han whimpered; actually whimpered, like a child being scolded for breaking a vase. “I-It was an accident, honest!” He begged. “She didn’t know she was headed into the Witch’s Biome, and I lost track of her! BY ACCIDENT! When I found her, I swear I did everything I could to protect her, honest! Th-That’s where I met Felix, though I didn’t know he was really human at the time...and I brought them both back here.”

Seungmin made a curious face of urgency, almost seeming to sweat as he crossed diagonally forward to move you back, even going so far as to stand in front of you as a shield while Jeongin took care of Felix, tugging the mouse-turned-boy’s twine-sewn sleeve to take shelter behind some discarded pews.

What happened next wasn’t a dream, but surely a thing of nightmares. Right in league with the Witch’s hideout.

There was a swirling mass of black and deep red as something foreign and sinister took hold of the feared so-called Master of the House. Hyunjin began to grow bigger. Sharp, pointed fangs protruded from tight chapped lips pulled back in a snarl. His eyes told of hunger, bloodshot. Pitched daggers made of shadow and bone formed and crystalized along his fingertips.

You lost your voice. You could barely breathe. You weren’t even sure how you were able to stand.

“Hyunjin,” Seungmin warned, a sternness to his voice. “Think about what you’re doing. Y/n is here.”

Hyunjin growled, no longer a man anymore but some sort of...foul, hideous beast. He bore murderous eyes at Han. “I don’t care,” he growled, “I’m going to—!”

“You’re scaring her.”

… … …

That seemed to get his attention. Though the same couldn’t be said about yours; for though you stood still, frozen in time and space, your wandering mind was making a break for recalling the nearest exit. An empty, dizzying numbness choked your thoughts.

Hyunjin...if he could even be called that anymore...glared at you with wide, mournful eyes. Eyes full of fear and insecurity. Doubt. A horrible realization.

In the blink of an eye-- for you literally just had to blink-- he was back to normal. He stood apprehensively still, the rage and miasma gone, staring a hole into your Mary Janes. Perhaps staring at the reflection back at him.

Though he stood impossibly still, his voice gave him away in slight, wavering cracks. “...Forget what you just saw. It was merely an illusion. A trick of the light.”

“Uuuuh,” Felix interrupted. “P-Pretty sure that wasn’t-- mmph!”

Jeongin gave him a silencing, terrified eye. “Shhh!”

“......” With a passive grunt, Hyunjin continued. This time his eyes were directly on you; a wave of nervous energy pooled over your skin. “Dinner is at six p.m. sharp.” he said. “You will be there. ...We will have an encore of introductions, no...an entire reestablishment.” He turned his head viciously over his shoulder. The boy his eyes landed on squeaked. 

“Han,” he uttered. The said boy bit his lip. 

“Y-Yes…?”

Hyunjin deadpanned, in the most unamused, lifeless way. “Come.”

“Ahahahah, a-actually-- whAAA!”

A vase at the far end of the room shattered. Literally exploded, a few shards lodging themselves into innocently bystanding portraits and landscapes. When your attention strayed back, you could see Hyunjin had thrown something.

Han quickly bowed, visibly starting to sweat all over again. After a tense moment he stood, saying in the softest voice, barely a whisper, his agreement. 

Then, wringing the rings on his fingers, he nervously followed him out.

| Seven ❧

Dinner was set to be at six p.m. Attendance was apparently a requirement, given the formal invite Felix slipped beneath your door, turned back to a mouse once more (something about moonlight turning him into a...weremouse? ...The rules of his curse were rather complicated).

However, that didn’t mean that you had to be there.

“...And so that’s how I became a real boy again!” The mouse cheered, setting off a small party steamer Jeongin had granted him to lift his spirits. His tiny rodent eyes crinkled in delight as he beamed up at you from the dining table of your guest room, where the two of you were currently seated. You twitched your nose in timing with his, having stared at him and his life-story-since-last-Tuesday for far too long.

You shifted your weight to the other cheek. “So, really, all you had to do was make contact with sunlight. But you were too scared and kept to the shadows all this time.”

“Precisely! At least, I think that’s how it works!” He plopped down, digging some...cheese crumbs out of his coat. “That, and the old hasbeen wouldn’t let me leave every time I tried. Do you know when the last time I saw the sun was?! Go on, guess!”

“...Last Tuesday?”

He looked at you with wide-eyes, paws shoved up his piehole. He took a few minutes to chew and swallow. “...Oh, you’re good. No wonder you’re the chosen one to break everyone’s curse!”

You huffed, snorted really, leaning back to cross your arms in thought. A movie reel spun its way around your brain, projecting the late afternoon’s events on a white screen:

…Hyunjin’s retreating figure left some sort of impression in your mind, and Han seemed to vanish like ink washed off of a page. The moment they’d both gone, your knees buckled beneath you, hands hitting the cold pavement. Seungmin was down to your level in an instant, with Jeongin and Felix scurrying around pews, bits of rubble and broken glass.

“Y/n, are you alright? …” Seungmin asked, reaching out to you. He paused briefly to think. “...I’m going to check your pulse,” he announced.

As his fingers found their way around your wrist, Jeongin flanked to your other side with a first aid kit he’d salvaged from who-knew-where. Felix kept his distance, wringing his cap the way Han had wrung the rings on his fingers, but one look at his face told you he was just as concerned for your health as the others…he simply didn’t know what to do.

“Here, put this on her!”

“I’m alright,” you mumbled, pushing away an ice pack with sloth. Jeongin gave you a distasteful glare of sorts. 

“But you nearly fainted--!”

“I’m fine...really.”

“......”

Everyone laid off after that. 

Which you took as your cue to exit. In your retreating haste, albeit, you failed to see the sorrowful eyes that followed your fleeting back; but you could feel them, and it wouldn’t be long until they found a voice to stand upon.

“Come on, Felix,” you said. “I’ll see what I can do to get you home. I don’t know where you originally came from, but if it’s anywhere near Westwind, my friend and I can give you a lift.” ...It was the least you could do, after all. Felix hadn’t done anything wrong; he wasn’t the one that kidnapped you, or put a “curse” on you, which you weren’t even sure was real, by the way. Sure, some crazy stuff happened, but you didn’t feel any different. What if Han and the Witch and that Hyunjin guy were really all in kahoots, and this was just some kind of crazy...outrageous propaganda stunt?

Jeongin continued to stare, now in an incredulous manner. “Y/n…”

“Let her go,” Seungmin insisted, lowering Jeongin’s hand. The boy grasped the air weakly, the pulsing of his fingers mocking his faintly beating heart, breaths shallow and longing, feebly succumbing to trembles. It would have been painful to watch, had you known him better.

Felix, keeping a low profile as best he could in such tense situation, removed the beret he’d just finished placing back on his head, squeezing it before him. “...A-Alright,” he agreed after a moment. He paced over gradually at first, then broke into a nervous, jagged jog as he scuttled to your side. “Thanks…”

You smiled to hide the fear and insanity of what you’d just witnessed before. A man turning into a beast— a boy becoming like a shadow— everything that had happened up until now; it was just a dream, Y/n. A bad propaganda stunt. “Don’t mention it.” You turned over your shoulder. “...It was nice meeting you.”

Seungmin smiled, bitterly so, as Jeongin closed in on himself. “Same to you. Please, take care. I apologize for any trouble we caused you.”

With a nod, your footsteps echoed into the once-lavish corridor, Felix trailing nervously behind you. But then…

Those sorrowful eyes found their voice. “Wait, Y/n! Please, don’t go yet!” Someone was running after you. “Please stay, just for dinner at least! Please!!!”

...Your footsteps faded. Waiting.

“Please, Y/n…” Jeongin paused some ten feet away, falling to his knees to beg. “Cursed or not, only you can break the spell. I know how this must look to an outsider like yourself, but what Han said to you before in his letter...I’m sorry but I pried before he left it. He’s right. You’re one of us now. But you’re also you. And only you can save him. We…” His voice trailed off, eyes following, focusing on something in his hands...a locket of some sort? “...We gave up on ourselves a long time ago. But as weird and annoying and frustrating as he is, we made a promise to never, ever give up on Hyunjin. Like it or not he’s our boss, and our dearest friend. He’s been good to us for so many years...after all he’s done, we at least need to save him!” His eyes searched for yours, gripping his hands tightly, pleading, crying out with anguish and hope. “It might be too late, but we have to try! We can’t do anything like this...only you can save him. Please, Y/n…”

You’d been paying attention this whole time, but it was just now that you were starting to see: something dark and lively wrapping its way around Jeongin’s neck, then his right cheek. It was like a tattoo, only...alive. And moving. Black vines with thorns and heart-shaped leaves mapped their way across half the boy’s face, finally tangling into his bright, unnaturally red hair that sploched into ebony black, the color of Rei’s hair, only darker maybe, and then…

He began to fade. “...Please help him. He’s not as bad as he seems, honest! Please say you’ll stay and save him!”

...After that, Seungmin ran over and gave Jeongin some kind of shot that turned him back to normal and stopped him from disappearing, but…

What were you supposed to do when he started crying like that?! You weren’t expecting the waterworks…

Because you were both nice people, you and Felix hurried back to help, too, though all the two of you could really do was run circles around each other and agree to stay for just a bit longer. Just until dinner, you’d repeated. So we have the strength to travel.

...You would go to dinner. Really, the plan had been to just send Felix down. That wouldn’t do, though, now that you thought about it... Well, then, you certainly weren’t staying; you’d simply pop in to make sure that Jeongin kid was still alive, grab a roll or two, and then you’d be off to the nearest motel or campsite, because you certainly weren’t spending a night here. Come morning, you and hopefully Felix could hurry back to Westwind and after you took the boy home, or someplace close, you could get back to a normal life traveling and selling wares and running away from fate and customs.

“I’m pretty sure it’s just Hyunjin I’m supposed to fix,” you mumbled, getting back to the small conversation. You never thought in a hundred years you’d be sitting down in some old castle out in the middle of nowhere, talking to a rat (that was really a person, but still). Your eyes scanned the window beside you, out into the foggy gray beyond where nothing but trees and old abandoned buildings greeted you, lifeless along the horizon.

Mouse Felix was still stuffing his face with crumbs of cheddar and swiss. He seemed to have found some bread crust to pair with the former ensemble. “I mean, I guess. I think I heard that one guy, Seungmin, mention something about it being for everyone though? Or I could have just been hearing things…” He swallowed, stacking another small tower. “Wow, I’ve never had such an appetite until last Tuesday…”

“......” You rolled your eyes, counterproductive to your set jaw. How the heck were you supposed to save anyone? Why you, of all people?

That annoying chant the Witch had said replayed in your mind...maybe, if you could decipher it, you’d have some answers...how did it go, exactly…?

When sunrise comes and all is lost, Look upon the oldtown cross There you’ll find just what you seek This aging woman’s prophecy

Sunrise. So when the sunrise came...but, lost? What was lost?

A cross? You surveyed the area, but you didn’t see anything like that.

What you seek...was this you, or was you someone else? What was it you, or they, were looking for? You just wanted to go home…

...All you got from the last part was that this witch was crazy. Then, the rest went something like… But if yet still you manage to bend And find and seek what storm’s may rend May fortunes smile and bring you light For the many remaining days of your life

Okay, seriously, what were you bending?! This had to be metaphorical. So bend...what, your will? Heart? Find a loophole somewhere?

Were you finding what was lost? Would you find it if you found a loophole? Or had a change of heart?

Fortunes would smile upon you...something good would come.

For the rest of your days…

…You smacked your head against the table, startling poor Felix. Who were you kidding?! You’d already decided, that old hermit in the woods was crazy. Trying to translate some old ramblings was a waste of time…!

...And effective in giving you a headache. You groaned, massaging your temples as Felix detangled himself from your locks to scamper a safe distance away. 

“Y/n? Are you alright?”

“...Yeah. Fine.”

“...You don’t sound fine. You sound like Chan when he’s had a long night working on a new project and drank more coffee than he got work done. And I don’t think he even likes coffee.”

You turned your head. “Who’s that?”

Felix smiled. The only mouse that knew how to. “My boss, sort of. We both work for an entertainment company, at least...I did, before this happened.” He regarded himself sadly. “Ever since last Tuesday--”

You groaned again. “Urgh, I know, I get it already! Last Tuesday may as well be your catchphrase at this point.”

“...Sorry.”

“......” You peeked back at him, flicking a crumb of cheese his way. It seemed to take away all his problems like a one-way train. You sat up, grinning just a little at how cute he looked, nimbling innocently. The only rodent you’d ever find to be cute. “...Tell me more about it. About Chan, was it? And this entertainment company of yours. I honestly thought you were a farmer.”

“A farmer?” He thought. “Oh...yeah, my clothes! I grew up on a farm, and our company is relatively small. I just threw those on when I went exploring the woods.”

“And what were you doing exploring the forest on your own?”

“Uh...well,” he blushed. “I’ll tell you about Chan and the company first.”

His small, yet surprisingly bass voice carried on into the dimly-lit atmosphere. Maybe you just needed to take your mind off things. You were getting too wound up in something you weren’t even committed to being a part of. Once you saw Jeongin was okay, you’d be forgetting all about this place. So for now, you just needed to relax.

And who knew mice told such fabulous, intricate stories?

| Eight ❧

“Hyunjin, please…!”

Crash!

Another mirror. Terrific.

After their departure from the old art gala, Hyunjin had led the two to one of the many old studies that lied grungy and muted like the rest of the palace. In the circular room resided one dusty old curtain over a weathering window, a few bookshelves chalked with books likely to never be read again, a small table with various junk, a chair, another chair, a small loveseat, a slightly larger small grandfather clock...and a calendar with much angry scribbling, stains, and tears.

“Hyunjin, Jeongin can only fix so many mirrors at once...you know how this all works…you break a mirror, something in the castle vanishes. Then I take the heat for it!” 

The beast growled. “You don’t think I know that? Are you talking back to me right now?”

Han flinched. If he were human, surely he would have died from a thousand ulcers and the tight sensations of horrid anxiety by now… “N-Not by any means...Hyunjin,” With gritted teeth, he bowed his head. “Please, listen to me for a second. Let me explain.”

“Oh, that you will,” the beast grumbled. He gracefully spun himself into a red velvet chair, lifting another looking glass from the small table beside it in order to glare at himself broodingly. It made the small hairs of Han’s neck stand yielding, doing a little dance of anxiety. 

“V-Very well,” He said, standing back up straight. He gave an awkward glance at the broken mirror shards before deciding he’d better start talking his way out of another beating, and clean up later. “Our journey begins in the outskirts of Westwind city--”

Hyunjin raised his right arm, the mirror held precariously in the balance. “Too far.”

“NO DON’T!”

...Phew.

Removing the handheld treasure from the prince’s hand, his shadow took a few steps back, peering into it. Watching the door and bookshelf behind him, as shadows had no reflection. “...I traveled around...out yonder, just as you asked. Just like I said I would. I let the wind and my intuition, my hope, guide me, and within less than a day’s travel I came upon Westwind city. That’s where I found her, just outside the gates...she was accompanied by another, a young woman of close age. They looked too different to be related, so I assume it was a friend, or maybe a distant...distant relative. Anyway--”

Hyunjin sighed.

“...Anyway, I--”

“How did you know she was the one? And so close? So close to our village...it seems too good to be true. And I thought you said she was lying dormant somewhere.”

Han blinked, eyes flitting forward. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. It took all his willpower not to flinch or show anymore signs of weakness. “W-Well, yes, she was, but uh...she escaped?”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. And so, I put her to the test.” 

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes. “You put her to the test? What does that mean?”

“I quizzed her. I knocked on the door of her heart...and she ignored me quite a few times, but eventually, I got in. In exchange for a favor.”

“What favor?”

Han smiled with pride. “I’d saved her friend’s life. Or...distant, distant relative. After that, I asked her carefully, very seriously, of her thoughts.”

“...About…?”

“The curse.”

“You told her outright about the curse?!”

Seeing as Hyunjin was near fuming, Han turned on the sprinklers, fanning his arms about. “No, no! Not outright! I was very tricky! I used lots of metaphors and figuratively-speakings! She had no idea to the core of the matter, really!” ...And anyway, did it even matter anymore? Y/n was well aware by now she wasn’t exactly in Kansas anymore...

“......” Hyunjin relaxed back in his chair. “So, what did she say?”

Han searched the dusty floorboards for a minute, before slowly twisting the mirror 180 degrees. “Well, sir, it was what I said first. I asked her…”

- ❧ -

“A man, or a beast? As individuals, do we have a choice?”

“...I’m sorry...I don’t understand the question.”

“Hmm…” Han thought. “...Imagine you were put under a...spell. A spell that turned you into a hideous monster, with fangs and claws and fur in places you’d never imagined...but it comes and goes, this curse of yours.” He tilted his head. “Are you still human? Or are you now a beast? Well?”

“...I...I don’t know,” you confessed, listing your gaze aside. “I really have no idea where you got such a crazy idea from.”

“Okay...then let me ask you this. I’ll help you out.”

He leaned forward this time. “Do you think we have a choice? Is it possible to define ourselves as one or the other?”

“Well...yes, I would think so.” Your eyes met his. “We all have a choice— to be monsters, or men. It is not a matter of blood, or a spell, but a condition of the heart.”

- ❧ -

Hyunjin leaned forward in his chair, eyes wide as saucers.

This time, he knew it, too. But he didn’t care how he must have looked. That fear died a long time ago, having stared at the many faces of Hwang Hyunjin over the years.

He simply couldn’t believe it. It really was true, then. It had to be her. The girl that would solve all his problems…!

...For the record, one should never put all their faith into one person in regards of “solving problems” or “fixing them,” but this was different. In this case, this girl really was the answer to lifting the curse plaguing his home and body for so many moons, so many long, hard-watched seasons…

And she was going to be having dinner with him. Not only that, but he only had a handful of hours left until it was all over, and everything set into stone.

The door behind Han slammed open, Seungmin entering the stage and stealing his spotlight like he normally did. Even before the curse, the boy who’d been his father’s auditor-in-training was always bursting in to bask in the limelight with his savvy knowledge, goody-two-shoes this and boring document question that.

He swears this was never the case, but Hyunjin knew better. “Do you mind? I’m having a discussion with--”

“Not now.”

“Excuse me?” Seungmin was rummaging around the room, spreading knick-knacks around, tossing books off shelves after quickly examining covers or flipping through a few pages, even going so far as to demand that Hyunjin stand so he could upturn all the seat cushions. “What are you doing?”

The boy genius frowned. “Jeongin had an episode after Y/n almost left. He—”

Hyunjin found himself shaking the boy in the next second. “Did he stop her?!”

“...Shouldn’t you be asking if he’s alright first?”

Hyunjin just continued to stare. Seungmin rolled his eyes.

“Yes, I was going to say, he managed to stop her. I did say almost left. By the way, Jeongin’s in peril right now, so if you could be so kind as to release me, I’d like to get back to ensuring his safety as soon as possible.”

As soon as Hyun dropped him, the boy got right back to work; tearing the room apart. Han pursed his lips.

“He had an episode? Did you give him a shot?”

The boy sighed. “Yes, but I’ve told you both before they’re only temporary. I’m looking for lavender oil, and the vine clippers. I don’t remember the original recipe to stop the ebb and flow, but I think I can make a close replacement from what I’ve read in the past.” He glanced over his shoulder a moment. “What were you getting so hot under the collar about, anyway? Is this about Y/n? Being cursed?”

Shoot, by the day, that was right. He was still angry about that. What if Han had blown it? What if this Y/n was defective now because she’d been touched by the Witch’s mad hand?

Oh, he was so going to get it if…!

“Eeek!” Han shrieked, already knowing what was to come. “Dammit, don’t remind him of that! I had just managed to get on his good side!”

Seungmin rolled his eyes again. “You’re never on his good side. All you two do is bicker and fight and run from or after each other until you’ve become one with the walls and he passes out from anger or resentment or both. ...Ah!” He smiled. “Found the clippers. Now for that oil…”

“Forget the oil!” Hyunjin roared. “We don’t have time for this! Ahh…!” He gritted both hands in his hair, looking out the window, up at the old miniature grandfather clock. “Time’s running out. Since she’s the one, we may still have a chance. Cursed or not we only have three days...two days…!”

It was at this point that Seungmin made a quizzical expression, pausing in his endeavors to pace rather calmly over to the calendar, checking the date. “...The anniversary of your curseday isn’t until next month. You have a whole season, almost.”

A...season?

“Let me see that,” Hyunjin demanded, shoving the kid aside. He peered anxiously at the line up, the rows of weeks in the calendar month that said… … …

Seungmin was right. He’d misread the date, in all his anxious spite.

He had until the next season. Until the first snowfall. Starting tomorrow, his clock would begin.

...Oh, who was he kidding?! His clock started tonight; with dinner.

In a tizzy, his whole attitude changed. No longer was he a grumpy, repulsive, bitter soul trapped in a cursed body. Mindlessly resenting his father, his past actions, the old beggar who’d shown up on his doorstep. He was a nervous young man about to have his first date in what felt like forever, because truthfully, it had been. “What am I going to wear?! ...Oh my gosh, she saw me transform…!” Horror filled his lungs with a ragged breath, hands flying to sunken cheeks. “I can’t let her see me now! But I have to! I have to break the curse...I mean, she has to break the curse! But what if--!”

“Hyunjin!” Han clamped his mouth shut. A bold move for someone that was normally terrified of him. “Calm down! I think that’s step one!” He looked around while Seungmin continued his search. “Step two would be...uh…”

“Finding an appropriate outfit?” Seungmin offered. Han beamed.

“YES, finding an appropriate outfit! Genius!”

Again, the boy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, who would have thought…?”

“C’mon!” The two flew past him, Hyunjin too preoccupied with his previous behavior, overwhelmed by too many truths, to even-- …

He rushed back into the room. “Did you say Jeongin was--?!”

“Let’s go,” Han ordered, yanking the househead by the collar. Leaving Seungmin alone to his bumbling foragery.

My, how times quickly changed.

| Nine ❧

Another spaghetti noodle found its way into Felix’s hair, alongside a half-eaten slice of garlic bread. 

In the great dining hall, chandeliers hung like clouds in a desecrated chamber, all covered in dust and cobwebs. A long, very long table stretched from one end of the wide room to the other, all set with dining ware meant to feed the entire Royal Family and their second cousins. A rainbow of food covered the crimson-draped platform, starting with English scones and biscuits on one end and ending with an Italian pot of gold on the other, complete with pastas, pizza, and a basket of garlic bread nestled to Felix’s right, who was seated at the table’s end. All along the walls sat candles lit with a hazy tint, casting shadows like lingering ghosts, light dancing across the faces of those present.

You slid your hand down one side of your face, safely hidden amongst the confines of two large chambers doors with one slightly askew. Good grief. You were simply waiting on Jeongin to show, to ascertain he was alright; until then, it was Felix’s one job to stall. What on earth was that foolish mouseboy doing shoving food in his hair?!

Seungmin, seated to the absent head’s left, and the only other soul in the room, cleared his throat loudly enough to be heard over the cultural expansion of what was meant to be one supper. “Felix!” he called, “Might I ask why you’re storing food on your persons? You’re...not a mouse at the moment.”

Unfortunately it didn’t reach far enough, as Felix continued to store and gobble down food. “Mm… What’d you say, cuz?”

Seungmin frowned. “I said,” he repeated, raising his voice, “you’re not a mouse anymore!”

Felix blinked, pausing red-handed while sliding a breadstick into his shirt pocket. “...Aren’t I?” He examined himself. “...Oh.” He blushed. “I suppose you did give me one of those fancy needles, didn’t you? I’m not used to being a real boy at this hour.”

Seungmin sunk back into his seat; a sigh.

Oh, but for Pete’s sake, where was Jeongin?! Seungmin could at least mention his current condition, so you could skedaddle your way to the nearest exit with a salad to-go. Better yet, some pasta and a pound of those chicken tenders sounded all the better…

No, no Y/n! Now was not the time to be thinking about food...even if it’d been a while since you last ate...more like a day…

...Ooooooh...pizza and...shrimp cocktail…

A pile of desserts rested center stage. Was that German chocolate you were seeing...?

“So,” Seungmin called. “Will Y/n be joining us this evening?”

Your attention snapped back to reality. Felix shook his head alongside tearing into a drumstick. “‘Fraid not,” he replied.

“Mm…” the other boy nodded. “...May I ask why? Is she feeling alright?”

Felix paused again. Forgetting the pasta and German chocolate, you pressed yourself against the closed door in order to be as close as possible, ear resting just next to the shaded chandelier and candlelight. 

Just like we practiced, Felix. Come on, just like we rehearsed.

“Uuuh,” Felix stammered. “Th-That’s…”

His head listed aside in thought. Ugh! No, what was he doing?! 

Felix chewed much longer than he needed to while racking his mouse-sized brain for an answer. Your fingertips pressed into old polished wood, silently begging the boy to remember what you’d just discussed twenty minutes ago.

Remember...think, dang it!

Suddenly, he swallowed. “Oh!”

Seungmin shook his head, as if waking up from a trance. “Yes?”

Felix grinned, probably with salad or something stuck in his teeth. “Y/n will not be attending this dilatory gathering due to a symptom...of her curse, that makes her quite drowsy at this late hour!”

Chink...! That was the sound of your hope cracking like a broken mirror. That sounded totally rehearsed! The lie was supposed to be that your curse made you tired and you didn’t want to be disturbed. It was perfect, since you knew one of them would insist on butting in to see for themselves, but surely would respect a young lady’s wishes to be left alone…

Though it was hard to see that far, Seungmin appeared to be grinding gears in his mind to make sense of such a suspiciously wordy sentence when, heaven’s to Betsy, the door at the far side opened, and in came a blue-haired shadow. It was the only way you knew how to describe him; he was simply put, like ink off a rain-washed page… “Wassup?!” He announced, swinging out the right-side chair.

Seungmin deadpanned, appearing to squint just slightly. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Ink-boy dropped a handful of rolls onto his plate. “...Like wha— oh!”

He leapt for the door again. Seungmin rolled his eyes (something he seemed to do a lot), dabbing the sides of his mouth before placing the cloth back over his lap. “Yeah. Oh.”

At the far end of the room, Han held both hands raised, as if he were a magician about to reveal a magic trick. “May I present to you, Felix, His Royal Highness, Prince of Everain Palace, Ruler of Finance, Master of Trade, Prosperer of...prospering, President Hwang’s birthright successor of the greatest industry of all time, Hyun— …”

Crickets. 

You couldn’t visibly see it, but you knew it was there: a single drop of sweat that rolled down the side of Han Jisung’s face, as he stood frozen, one hand hovering over the engraved door handle.

“Ha...hahaha…” He did his best to smile. “...Wh-Where’s Y/n?”

Felix bobbed his head, holding up a finger while finishing off a bite of lasagna. “Mm...one second mate…” He dabbed the corners of his mouth like Seungmin had done, taking his time to tuck and fold the elaborate cloth upon his lap. 

Han twitched. Felix surely smiled, taking a painfully slow inhale.

“Y/n will not be attending this dilabitory...dilatory gathering due to a...symptom?...yeah, a symptom of her curse, that makes her quite drowsy at this late hour!”

… …

“She whAT?!?!”

You sighed. While Han had another spastic encounter with the dust-coated floor, Seungmin hollered and tried beating the boy out of it with various hard-mattered foods, the two falling into the same bickering as they had before. Felix continued to happily stuff his face like nothing was bothering him. And you, idly residing in the cold hallway, still had no idea how Jeongin was. Not a word.

Sliding your back down the door, you pursed your lips, lightly smacking two fingers over your wrist; better check yourself before you wreck yourself, just in case.

Fifty-eight...fifty-nine...sixty. Yep, normal.

But the marking on your wrist wasn’t. 

You jumped back, hitting the door and causing the noise outside to dip for a moment before returning to...what was currently normal. You covered your right wrist with the opposite hand. Held your breath. Counted to three.

Removing your fingers, slowly, something sinister stared back at you. Something...elaborate, foreign, but distinguished. Some sort of...strange dome shape, a mark made of...ink, maybe, resembling a chapel window. Or a door, perhaps?  

Upon closer inspection, in the faint light from the other room, it seemed to pulse with...some kind of...energy… … 

...When sunrise comes, and all is lost… Hmm… 

Fwoosh!

You snapped your head back, peering through the sliver of dancing light. The far door ricocheted against its adjacent wall; an ambrosial aroma wafting through the air. The candlelight...illuminated...

...A beastly man with silky black hair.

- ❧ -

You’re pretty sure you heard a noodle slip off the fork wound tightly in Felix’s hand, who nearly dropped it all the same. 

There he was; the man who’d become a monster and nearly murdered Han just hours ago, right before your eyes. The black and red miasma, honed claws, sharp teeth; all of it came flooding back to your mind like a tidal wave. 

The sudden drop in temperature made you long for candle warmth, yet flee farther into the shadows of the empty hall. Seungmin paused with a scone held once proudly and threateningly in the air, now placed delicately on his plate as he nervously slid back into his seat. Han, once choking on a fistful of salad mix, managed to wash it down and did the same, quickly and quietly so after pulling out the beastman’s seat.

Hyunjin sat down with vigor, the legs of his chair scraping harshly to the floor. He made a peculiar face, something like embarrassment albeit just a second, before hiding it behind the fluffing of his napkin and folding it onto his lap. Then he made a fleeting...was that nervous?...glance straight head, to the far opposite end of the table.

The candlelight seemed almost hesitant to cast it’s erratic glow upon the prince’s face. When his eyes met a head of orange hair, he froze, glaring. Hotly. “Where is Y/n?”

“The million dollar question,” Seungmin mumbled. It managed to echo, along with the kick beneath the table and following hiss escaping his lips a moment later. 

Hyunjin snorted, turning his gaze back to Felix. “I said,” he repeated. “Where is Y/n?”

“Yes, I heard you loud and clear, cuz,” Felix replied with an OK sign. “Gimme just a sec...ahem!”

You (silently) banged your head against the solid matter before you. Oh, sweet stars, please no…

“Y/n will not be attending this—”

“She’s not feeling well, Your Grace,” Seungmin interrupted. Phew. “Apparently she’s rather ill as a side effect from whatever curse the Witch gave her. She’s resting in the same guest room upstairs.”

Yes! Now, someone mention Jeongin’s name so you could leave with a clear conscious!

Hyunjin blinked. “Go get her, then.”

… Huh?

Seungmin nearly swallowed wrong, apparently thinking the same thing. “I’m sorry?”

Hyunjin, again, snorted. “I said, go get her. It’s rude to keep everyone waiting, especially royalty.”

Felix, who had long started his meal prior to anyone’s arrival, stopped and hurriedly shoved any evidence under a spare napkin from the empty seat beside him. “Ahaha, yes, right! Waiting…! …” 

He awkwardly wiped his hands clean. Seungmin frowned. “Hyunjin…”He placed his fork down. “She’s sick. Resting. And after today, I don’t blame her for wanting to be left alone right now…” He eyeballed Felix a moment, leaning in with a hushed voice. “Remember, you have more time now...it’s better to be patient. Let her adjust first.” He turned back toward his meal. “I got the hint from Felix’s message, she wants to be left alone. Everyone’s already started eating, anywa—”

“That’s enough!”

The room swiftly grew colder. You shivered, ducking your head even if you technically weren’t present in the dining atmosphere. Oh, greif.

Hyunjin slammed his hands on the table, rocking himself upwards. “If you’re just going to back talk and give me excuses, I’ll get her myself!”

He made his way toward you, crossing the dining room on Han’s side in angry strides towards the vaguely slitted door.

Gasping, you bit your lip hard, frantically searching for a place to hide; but there was nothing. No furniture or randomly placed junk littered the path leading to the great hall. Could you outrun him, maybe? Would it make a sound? How good was his hearing? Did beastmen have the same sensitive hearing capabilities as a wolf, or a fox?

“Pardon me!”

You whirled around, witnessing the brave, possibly last, antics of Felix the Mouse...boy. His whole aura radiated positive, jittering energy, hopping lightly from one foot to the next as he put his old entertainment skills to use, all for your sake.

Hyunjin grunted, having been stopped in his tracks. He glared down heatedly. “What is it? You’re in my way.”

Felix saluted him. “Right on, bro! ...Except, that…”

You held your breath. Put on a good show, Felix. Or, better yet, ask him about Jeongin. That’s all I need to—

“...I need to pee. Mind showing me where the bathroom is?”

… … 

Oh…he just had to...go… 

You deflated like a popped balloon. Of course.

After staring almost incredulously at Felix, like trying to understand his existence, Hyunjin made some sort of irritated noise you assumed all beastmen made, shoved him aside, and continued his striding. 

You made it as far as a few paces from the first available turn before a cold voice stopped you.

“Just where do you think you’re going?”

Urk! … 

...You really should have just looked for Jeongin yourself.

| Ten ❧

“Where’s Jeongin?”

The room had long ago settled into an uncomfortable silence. Bitterly, you shoved a stuffed olive into your mouth, letting the salty tang of the brined fruit coax over your tongue before shivering from the sensation.

You were getting drowsy. But that also could have been from the wine Han insisted on pouring for you, and you being stressed and unsure if an evening around a beastman would be at all possible without the effects of alcohol, accepted.

You were seated across from the beast now, in Felix’s place. The boy being forced to your right...until the effects of whatever had made him a boy again wore off. As of ten minutes ago, he was a rodent yet again, nested happily in the garlic bread basket. You squinted eyes at him over your wine glass.

You totally failed the mission. Be grateful I’m having a hard time staying mad at you. And that you can safely ingest garlic.

“Why do you wish to know?”

Hyunjin’s voice boomed across the grand hall, in no more than a calm rejoinder. How he could speak so lowly and yet fill an entire hall was beyond your drunkenly buzzing comprehension.

“I just want to know,” you simply replied. “Where is he?”

Hyunjin didn’t respond. Instead, Seungmin cleared his throat, excusing himself from the room.

“Wait,” You stood. “Where are you going?”

The boy awkwardly shifted his gaze from you to the door. Hyunjin suddenly stood as well. “Why do you want to know? Why are you asking so many questions?”

“Okay, okay,” Han dabbed at his face, easing the beast back into his seat, and motioning for you to do the same. “Everyone take it easy. Y/n, please excuse Seungmin, he has many responsibilities here. Hyunjin...Your Princeliness,” he corrected, “why don’t you have some more wine? I think we all just need to have a nice long drink and—”

“Be quiet,” Hyunjin ordered, scooting himself in. His shadow didn’t need to be told twice, turning back to his dinner with a small eye roll.

Steadily, with caution, you lowered yourself back into your seat, only able to watch as Seungmin gave a brief bow to you before disappearing behind closed doors. “Please excuse me,” his voice trailed behind him.

Great. He was likely the only one who’d have been bold and honest enough to tell you anything. Now you were stuck with a beast, a shadow, and a mouse that’d fallen asleep in the bread basket.

...Then this happened.

“Ahem,” Hyunjin swallowed a swish of sweet, fermented grape juice. “...T-Tell me about yourself.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I said…” He swallowed again, for no particular reason this time. He kept a staring contest with his steak. “Tell me about yourself. What kind of...stuff do you like?”

“What kind of...stuff?”

A stifled noise came from Han’s lips, as he did his best to hide a smile. He spared you a polite grin before quickly whispering something to Hyunjin, like a lawyer to a client. “...Never mind!” The beastman awkwardly bleated, to which crimson coated his cheeks. He angrily picked at his plate, and the room once again fell into silence.

That was weird. Switching gears, you glanced down to your wrist. The mark from a bit earlier was still there, now lit up beneath the flickering light. Tentatively, you slipped a spare napkin, rubbing at the ink.

It didn’t budge. You tried wetting the cloth with a bit of wine when the others weren’t looking; thankfully, Hyunjin was too...enthralled in his steak, or something, and Han was too busy whispering to him.

The ink didn’t smudge, either. It was as if the markings were a part of your skin.

When sunrise comes, and all is lost… 

“What do you do for fun?”

“Wha?!” Your head shot up, focusing to see all four eyes on you. Han and Hyunjin glaring at you expectantly. You gulped, taking a deep breath to clear your thoughts. You just couldn’t get that old bat’s wacky slogan out of your head… “...What do I do for fun? Is that what you asked?”

Han gave a single nod, encouraging another conversation attempt. You lowered your head, thinking. It couldn’t hurt to participate in mindless chatter. Just until I get the information I want.

“I like...selling things. And making people happy.”

Hyunjin’s eyes grew just a little. “Is...that what you do for a living?”

“Mm-hm.”

Both men were silent. Hyunjin, in particular, looked like he may have been experiencing indigestion of some sort. Then he scowled. “Shouldn’t you be home with your parents? Taking care of them? Doing something more decent?”

You scoffed. What the heck? Where did that come from? “This is how I take care of them. Almost all the proceeds go back to them. What do you mean, more decent?”

Hyunjin had opened his mouth to speak when Han cleared his throat, jumping in on the conversation. “Does your friend work with you? Her name was…”

“Rei.”

“Yes, Rei! You both sell artifacts and collectibles, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Hyunjin blinked. “Oh…” He relaxed, indigestion cleared.

Placing both hands on your lap, you sat up a little straighter. “So where’s Jeongin?”

The beastman’s face resembled one of annoyance and grief. “Why do you keep asking about him?”

“I…” You took another swing of wine, swirling the contents afterward. Watching as your reflection altered. “I’m just curious is all. Is he doing okay?”

Something like...jealousy?...resided among the beast’s brow and set jaw. “He’s fine. Quit asking. I want you to tell me about yourself. Where are you from? How old are you?”

It was at this point that you’d at last had perhaps one too many swigs of sweet relief and numbness, for you placed down your glass after chugging the last bit. One out of...how many refills of this stuff have you had? “Can’t,” you stated, standing. “I got what I came here for. Now I’m leaving.”

“Leaving?”

Hyunjin...the beast, regarded you incredulously. “Yes, leaving…” You giggled. “Leaving. Leeeeeaving… Like leaves blowing in the wind, leaf-ing.” It was a hop, skip, and a jump to the door some ten or whatever paces away. “I know that Jeongin is okay now...er, wait.” You frowned. Turned around. “How do I know you aren’t lying to me?”

A brow was raised. “You think I’m lying? About my Jeongin?” He snorted. “Why do you care so much about him? Do you know him from a past life? Was he your lover? Do you like him now?”

“Hyunjin…” Han muttered, glaring. “Cool it...please.”

“I will not!” He rose to his feet with twice as much vigor as before, chair flying backward. Han eep-ed. “This dinner is supposed to be about you, and me. Why do you keep bringing up my blacksmith? Tell me!”

Because you were already pretty numb (good gravy what was in the wine?), you just laughed at the fact a beast was getting this angry over something so trivial to you. “Why do you care so much? Do beasts always get this angry?” You groaned, like it was all such a bother. “If you really wanna know, he had a nervous breakdown or something and begged me to come to dinner. But he got all weird...like...there were these moving images, and he started vanishing. I could see right through him!” You sighed, making your exit again. “I just wanted to know if he was alright. Turning into air like that can’t be healthy.”

“Absolutely not.”

You chuckled, nearly at the door. “Exactly, that’s what I’m say—”

“NO!”

Boom! Chik!

...You flinched. Gradually, bit by bit, you inched yourself to partially facing the dining hall.

A chunk of the table was missing. A decently-sized, pretty big chunk, torn right off the left corner. Han, on the opposite side but right next to the disaster, was twisted up like one of the noodles that’d been trapped in Felix’s hair, his face ghostly white.

Hyunjin was seething. “You are not going anywhere outside the confinements of these walls. That is an order.”

Han coughed, waving away dust and floating wood chips with minimal effort so as not to draw too much attention. “O-Okay, easy there, Hyunjin…technically…” He smiled. An apologetic one, voice skittishly squeaky. “Technically, you can’t order her to—”

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want!!! This is my manor, my life, my curse!!!”

“That doesn’t give you the right to order me around!” You screamed. “How dare you raise your voice to me! Over something so stupid and absurd!”

His eyes narrowed to slits, head twitching aside. “What did you just say?”

You mirrored his image. “You heard me. Don’t pretend like you didn’t hear. Surely, as a beast, your hearing is as good as a dog. Or a bat. Or some kind of vermin.” Pushing open the door, you whipped your head around. “I said, I’m leaving.”

Hyunjin’s eyes went wide...then nearly vanished behind a curtain of vexed, enraged brows. “You wanna go so badly? Fine! Get out of here! Go to your room!!!”

“Who do you think you are, my father?!”

“Obviously, running amuck from your parents has left you with a lack of discipline.”

Your jaw went slack. “What did you just say?!?”

Hyunjin smirked, a sarcastically snobbish and mocking tone to his voice. “You heard me. Don’t pretend like you didn’t.”

“Uh!” You raved. “Whatever! I’m going to look for Jeongin myself, since I can’t trust that you’d tell me anything sincere. Then, I’m out of here.”

“What does that mean?!”

“It means I can’t trust anything you say, because you’re a monster!!! Then, I’m going home!”

You couldn’t quite see it, but there was a hint of pain in Hyunjin’s eyes, mixed with scars and years of regret. But everything quickly flooded back to anger and bigotry before you could count to three. “...Get back here! You’re not allowed to leave the manor! I forbid you to go anywhere except straight to your room! Do you hear me?!”

“No!”

“Yes!!”

“No!!”

“FINE!!!”

“Fine!!!”

…Slam.

| Eleven ❧

The rain coming down that night was the only thing stopping you from leaving. Not that you were afraid of a little rain by any means; no, not in the slightest. Rather, it was that you weren’t going to kill yourself over a stupid argument just to get away from a beast. You couldn’t risk catching pneumonia or a silly cold and leave Rei to handle taking care of you and the fort. Plus, there was the matter of Felix...you’d be responsible for him as well. You already told him you would.

...All of that, and it was raining pretty hard.

So here you sat, out in an old web-infested barn, slack atop a stack of hay a few feet away from the open barn doors, just watching the rain fall. Praying it would let up so you could escape. Praying no one would find you here, out in some shabby old building behind the kitchen. And what a nightmare that had been, by the way.

From your left shoulder, Felix did a nervous little jig, spinning in circles twice before bridging across your back to the other side. “Y/n…I don’t know what happened, cause that cheese and wine got me pretty good, but…” He heaved a small mouse-sigh. “...Do you think you maybe overreacted? You don’t seem like a person who gets worked up so easily.”

You scoffed. Wasn’t that right. “Yeah...you’re right. I’m not.”

“Then what happened?”

“......” It took you a moment to gather your thoughts. What did happen? Why did I get so worked up like that? Sure, there was the alcohol. That definitely had an effect. But it wasn’t everything, because now that it was wearing down, now that your mind was clearing and you’d had some time to settle down, to breathe in solitude, you...knew it was something more. There was truth in the midst of all that anger.

Felix was waiting for an answer. So were you.

“I—”

Chunk! “Y/n!!!”

You took a startled breath, turning toward an old door you could have sworn was sealed shut. “Jeongin…?”

It was Jeongin. The red-haired reason you’d decided to stick things out, albeit a little longer. The boy greeted you with flushed cheeks and a lazy smile; he still didn’t look all that well. “Y-Yeah...I came because I heard...you…”

He hunched over, out of breath. The face of another appeared behind him. “Jeongin! I told you to slow down, you’re in no condition to be running around like…” He stopped, blinking into the darkness. “Y/n? Why are you here?”

Brown hair, matching eyes. Mr. Excuse-Me-From-This-Horrifically-Awkward-Dinner. You just smiled, lazily in response. “Hello, Seungmin.”

The young...caretaker nodded, acknowledging you before being swatted away by his patient. A flash of vacancy lit up the night sky as you turned the opposite away, facing the other two in a triangle. Jeongin hustled to shut the barn doors despite Seungmin’s protests, and pretty soon the three...four of you, with Felix taking a nosedive for the hay, sat in awkward silence.

It was almost an encore of dinner not but twenty or thirty minutes ago, though not as worse. It was obvious the two of them wanted to say something, but neither wanted to be the first to speak. Finally, after twenty-odd seconds of nose scratches, unnecessary shifting, and forced coughs, the only employee with a braincell sat up a little straighter.

“Listen,” Seungmin began, using his hands to speak. “About Hyunjin—”

The beast. No thank you. You swatted your hands before you. “I do not want nor need to have another conversation about that ill-mannered buffoon.”

“...I’m pretty sure this is the first one.”

“Second,” Jeongin inquired. “...Right?”

“I’m not counting the first encounter,” Seungmin...countered. “Those never count.”

Jeongin nodded. “Yeah, I can see why—”

“Enough!” You yelled. “...It doesn’t matter if this is the first or second or even the tenth time. I can tell you one thing, it’s definitely the last.”

Seungmin gave you a pitying look. “We all have to walk on eggshells around him.” His voice sounded pleading, borderline apologetic, and all-over exhausted. “...It gets rough, I know. I understand he’s not the easiest person to get along with. He’s very different and outcast and behind the times. But if you could just hear me out for—”

“Hear us out,” Jeongin corrected. He gave you the cutest, saddest smile a boy of his caliber could possibly manage. It made your heart melt; it didn’t help that he was still ill to boot. “I heard what you did for me, Y/n. I really appreciate your concern. No one has ever stayed, especially when one of us...has an...episode.” 

His gaze grew sad and distant. You could feel your heart sizzling in a pool of pity. “...This has happened...before?” you whispered.

Jeongin nodded, Seungmin averting his eyes. “...Yeah.” He said. “Twice to Jeongin, three times to Han, Hyunjin too many to count...and uh…” He scratched his cheek, holding up an index finger. Eyes peeking shyly under the hood of neatly-groomed bangs. “...Once I may have...had a bad day.”

“Wow…” Felix mumbled, head sticking out of the hay barrel. The boy looked like a stray whack-a-mole project. “That sounds rough. Been there done that.”

You rolled your eyes, shoving him down with two fingers. He let out a muffled squeak on the way down. “So…” ...You sighed. “...What is it that you wanted to say, then? This is the last time I’m listening. I only went to that banquet to make sure Jeongin was okay.” Another crack of lighting pierced the sky, followed by the ominous rumbling of thunder. “You have maybe ten minutes, since the storm isn’t letting up anytime soon. But after that, I’d like to be left alone in peace until I can leave this joint. Go.”

Seungmin nearly beamed nonexistent sunshine. “That’s plenty of time.”

“Get to the basics. Just the essentials.”

“The company fell under a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry?”

He huffed, running a hand through his hair while Jeongin glanced nervously at the door. “The company, this place. The first thing you need to know about Hyunjin is that he wasn’t always this way. And I’m not just talking about the curse. He’s the son of a wealthy businessman; this is his estate. He owns the whole town...or at least, he did.” His eyes scanned the walls and dusty interior, as if checking to see if someone else was watching. As if taking in the entirety of the estate. “...Now it belongs to Hyunjin. Everything.”

You crossed your arms. “I could have put that together myself. He’s obviously a rich, spoiled brat.”

“There’s more. The people that know him personally know him for who he really is.”

You huffed. Unbelievable, really. “And what would that be?” You pressed. “A monster?”

A bitter silence flushed the room. You instantly felt a pang of resentment at that remark. Perhaps...again, that was a bit too harsh. 

“...I’m sorry.” Your arms laid in surrender across your lap. “Please continue.”

“......” Seungmin glanced to his left. “You wanna pick up from here?”

He leaned back, Jeongin lifting himself to take the lead. “...Hyunjin is a pain in the ass. He’s a pain in the morning, we basically play rock paper scissors to see who has the unfortunate task of waking him up and handling his breakfast, and to decide who’s turn it is to do laundry and lunch we place bets on when he’ll randomly combust in a daily rage or which book he’ll throw across the room first.” He counted on his fingers, listing them off one by one. “For dinner and his bath we usually draw straws or play an old board game, but Han often cheats, so…”

...His voice trailed off, eyes intently examining his mental checklist. You frowned. “...What does any of this have to do with…” Shook your head. “What are you saying again?”

He smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry,” he bowed. Cute. “What I meant to say was that deep down Hyunjin is actually a very kind person, but...I just ended up making him sound like an overly-dependent...man...child.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle, twirling a piece of hay around your finger. “Well he sure does seem like it. His manners at the dinner table were atrocious and incredibly beast-like.”

“But you don’t know him like we do,” Seungmin insisted...then smiled, apologetically so, sitting up straight again. “...Forgive me. But what we’re trying to say is, Hyunjin is really a nice guy, he’s just...stuck. You definitely didn’t help with that daily ledger,” he scolded beside him. Jeongin bowed again.

“Well, sorry, I was just trying to—”

“Stuck?”

That lone word rang out like a gunshot. Seungmin and Jeongin both turned to you with sour eyes, the former swallowing a bit uncomfortably. “...Yes, stuck.”

“In what? Time? Space? Adolescence?” You tilted your head. “Because he never learned to grow up?”

“Exactly! ...Sort of.”

You glanced down to the hay-riddled fabric adorning your lap. It’d never really occurred to you to analyze or care anything for Hyunjin’s personal life, mostly because you weren’t planning on staying and the moment you saw him transform, you didn’t want to know. Your instincts told you to run, to flee, to flood your system with a coping-mechanism gene and forget and ignore what you just saw. You wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but you were scared...and who in their right mind wouldn’t be?

...But hearing this now...even given the smallest sliver of insight…

...Well, your mother had often scolded you for being nosy. “So you’re saying he never learned how to...grow up.”

Both boys nodded. “That definitely can be said.”

“And so, that’s why he acts out.” You looked around, questions popping up about the hedge maze in your mind from every direction. “How long has he been alone here? Where are his parents? …How old is he?” Your eyes focused on Seungmin. “What happened to him, exactly?”

“......” Seungmin and Jeongin shared a look. It all but drove you crazy how long it took one of them to answer. “...Do you have longer than ten minutes?”

| Twelve ❧

“Hyunjin was born to a wealthy mother and a poor, impoverished father in the year XXXX. No one knows where or how they met; Hyunjin is very selective and quiet on the matter. However, documents of his mother’s family buried in one of many attics claim they met at some time around the Summer harvest festival, an annual event that used to take place here in New Amber.

“It was the responsibility of noble families to uphold the annual harvest ceremony at the start of the season. As a part of tradition, many noble families and a few middle class families with connections to noblemen and their wives would use this great gathering to announce engagements and arranged marriages, in order to shift the power to new families and invite a sense of balance to the community. Hyunjin’s mother was reportedly sixteen years old at her time of arranged marriage, to the wealthiest family in New Amber next to the king; a family called the Song’s.

“The Song family oversought all affairs in the king’s absence; which he was absent a lot, given his aloof nature and uncaring attitude towards politics. The Song family basically ruled the city with an iron fist; many offers came to them from pushy mothers or greedy fathers who wished for their sons and daughters to tie a knot to the family name, connecting a chain to their own. A man by the name of Yun Jeongsun, Hyunjin’s grandfather, was one such parent. He weaseled his way into the Song’s good graces, and they offered their youngest son to be wed.

“Hyunjin’s mother, Yun Haerin, was against the marriage from the start. She had no interest in marriage, and instead wanted to craft her own trade to be of use to society. She wished to work alongside the Song family, rather than become one herself. As you can imagine, this angered many people; not only did it go against protocol at the time, but refusing an offer from the ruling family was considered a huge offense. And the Song family took it that way.

“As she was packing to leave the city one night— as she’d decided to melodramatically run away from her problems— she was met with Hyunjin’s father, a dirt-scratcher named Hwang Jihoon. The Hwang family had fallen on hard times ten years prior when their oil company snagged a few false investments, and the company went bankrupt and fell under. Having learned to fend for himself and adapt to life on the streets, Hwang Jihoon saved Yun Haerin from some typical back alley bandits, and finding her fancy offered to escort her to her new life outside of town.

“As you can probably guess, the two fell in love during their travels, and settled for a simple life outside of New Amber. However...Hwang Jihoon wanted more for his family. 

“No one in the Hwang family ever forgot or gave up resenting the hardships they faced. And no one especially more than eldest son Jihoon. To summarize and keep this short...Hwang Jihoon became a tyrant. He used Haerin’s maiden name to forge a new path for the Hwang’s, and eventually, the nameless city they had escaped to fell flat. It couldn’t withstand the intense amount of economic tyranny and inflation. The taxation without representation. Hwang Jihoon had swindled his family to the top and drained the entire community dry.

“So they went back to New Amber. For stability. For revenge. Now having the security and stability he needed, which he stole from others, the Hwang family came back with an iron fist of their own. Due to a current drought and a bad economic year, not to mention the king up and abandoning his people, not even the Song family could stand up to them. And promising a new resurrection of New Amber, Hwang Jihoon took the throne.

“He crowned himself King of New Amber and tore half the city apart drilling for oil. As luck would have it, the community had been sitting atop a natural oil reserve that flooded the country back into promising times. Things were actually quite peaceful for the first five years...until they ran out of oil. Taking the snag in stride, however, Jihoon used his deceit and backhanded tactics to manipulate the economy, trading and stealing from other cities. Because he was so crafty, no one caught on until it was too late.

“Hyunjin had been born just a year before. Upon his birth, Haerin and Jihoon began having marital problems, according to a diary entry by Haerin. In it she claims to have regretted her choice in marrying Jihoon, and that she’d fallen out of love with him. She claims that his only interest was power and revenge, tearing down the social hierarchy to make everyone pay— and the unfortunate effects it was having on everyone. 

“In her last entry, Haerin claimed to fear for her life. She wrote that Jihoon had violently threatened to forfeit her life if it meant continuing his reign. She was never seen or heard from after that…”

...Seungmin’s voice grew faint for a while. Tension in the air rose higher, the thickness suffocating.

You couldn’t believe such a tragic and long-rich history had occurred in such a wasteland. It obviously had fallen eventually, but…

You needed to hear more. “...So he killed her? Then what happened?”

Seungmin nodded, slowly. “It likely wasn’t him. Due to his constant appearance in the public eye, it’s more probable to say he hired someone to do the job.”

You shivered. How awful. 

As Jeongin fished out and dusted off an old blanket for you, his light coughs echoing around the barn, Seungmin continued. “With Haerin gone and the Yun family name no longer needed, Jihoon continued to thrive and plunge the city to new heights— and a harder fall. He manipulated the economy to continue spinning in his favor; meanwhile, as years flew by and he became older, he began having thoughts of the future, and who would succeed in his place. Because he was a man with no trust in anyone but himself, he summoned his only son— Hwang Hyunjin— to be molded in lessons of business and trade. How to lie, cheat, and steal.

“Supposedly the brainwashing began around the age of nine. Hyunjin had been a clueless child sent away to be cared for by a few nuns from the community in a remote location before; he’d grown up without any friends, never knowing the love of a mother or father. Only the required care provided by the Sisters of the Church. However, that does not mean he was never unhappy; the sisters did a fine job of raising him, and they truly did grow to love Hyunjin as their own.

“Of course that all changed when he was taken back to the palace. From then on Hyunjin spent his days locked away in the estate’s highest tower, like a prince out of a fairytale; forced into the education of topics he could scarcely fathom. Another maid who kept a journal of her own reported the occasional, almost frequent scream coming from the prince’s tower. She noted them as punishments for incorrect responses and behavior.

“Hyunjin was fourteen when his father died. Five years of torture and humiliation, along with a healthy dose of effective brainwashing, formed him into an angry and bitter soul. Originally, he wanted nothing to do with his father’s company. He wanted nothing to do with the position of king; but being outnumbered and powerless against the force of countless impoverished civilians forced him to make changes. 

“...I did the best I could to help him. As an advisor in training to Jihoon, I truly did what I could. Honestly, seeing him that one day...the day of his coronation...it fascinated me. There, I thought. Up there on the highest balcony. That’s the boy rumored to be the source of the screaming at night. That’s the boy who is Jihoon’s only son. His flesh and blood. The son of the late Haerin, a lasting survivor of the Yun legacy.”

Seungmin took a deep breath here, sighing out into the open space between you. Watching him flashback nearly took your breath away.

“...And so it came to be that Hwang Hyunjin took the downfall of his father’s handiwork. The moment he sat down at the throne, all the lies his father weaved came unraveled. All the shortcuts and manipulation tactics came back to haunt him. All the stolen time and resources were forced to be paid back in full. Hyunjin could hardly bear the weight of it all; the toll was almost too great. Many people saw him as cursed, and up and fled the palace to be with their families in poverty. But they hadn’t seen anything yet...”

“So…” You hesitantly reached a hand forward, then flinched, retracting it. “...I’m sorry to interrupt. But how did he...um…”

Seungmin gave a bitter half-smile, nodding. “Yeah. I’m almost there.

“One night at the head of a harsh Winter, an old woman showed up seeking shelter. Hyunjin was out stalking the palace halls lamenting his position, and upon answering, turned her away.”

Your eyes widened. “She was...the Witch of the Biome. Er, whatever her name is…”

Seungmin nodded. “Yes, that’s right. The Witch revealed herself to Hyunjin, and put a curse upon all who were present within these walls. At the time that was...well, there were a few others, but before you ask about them...they’re gone now.”

You listed your head a moment before realizing what he meant. “...O-Oh...I’m so...sorry…”

The advisor shrugged. “It was a while ago. There was nothing we could do about it. It was their choice…”

Sniffling filled your ear from down below. You bowed your head to find Felix with tears in his eyes, turning to you in need of comfort. Gently, you lifted him onto one leg, hovering cupped hands around him. “And then?”

“Then...well…” He gestured around him. “Here we are today. After the people saw what he had become, families and villagers left, some in hoards, others more sparingly. But eventually the whole city was left to erosion. Hyunjin couldn’t hide his curse forever; and neither could we.” 

He stood suddenly, dusting stands of hay and a few piles of dust from the atmosphere away from him. Outside, the sounds of clarity of nightfall graced your ears.

“So now you know. This is Hyunjin’s story...and our own.”

“So then, why am I here?”

This question seemed to catch Jeongin by surprise; but Seungmin smiled as if anticipating the notion. “The Witch tends to spout riddles about how her curses can be broken; it’s like some weird tick or bad habit while she’s casting them. Or maybe it’s just the incantation itself; no one really knows. However…” He scratched his cheek, looking to Jeongin for confirmation. The red-head nodded. “We were hoping you would be the one to break the curse. You see, the incantation, according to Hyunjin, went something like this:

“Lips to lips and mouth to mouth Calls the speaker of the shrouds Summon forth your courage and might In order to love and end within night But yet if still ye cannot fathom Ending here the chilling anthem Suffer still and face your demise For all the passing days of sunrise.”

The smallest gasp escaped your lips. Sunrise...sunrise. When sunrise comes, and all is lost...

“...Hyunjin sort of lost his way after the curse was cast. Well...no. He’d lost his way a long time ago. I guess what I’m trying to say is, he never found his way to begin with. So he really lost it after the curse hit, and he was forced back into hiding. He didn’t know what to do with himself. Everything was so...messed up. It was just a mess. His whole life had been a dark, night-infested wasteland...much like this town, almost...and then it was like someone came and dropped a hedge maze over it. He didn’t know where to go or what to do. He was already lost. So he just...screamed. And cracked. He broke, like many of the mirrors you’ll find around here. Covering it up with a delusional fantasy. That’s why he acts the way he does; sort of like he’s just existing, and nothing is really wrong. Inside...it’s chaos inside his mind. Just an ill-chosen coping mechanism to disguise the front of war. So, Y/n…”

You flinched at the mention of your name, sitting up straighter. Seungmin looked down upon you with an intense fire.

“Now that you know the story, what will you do? I didn’t tell you all this to guilt you into staying, so I hope you don’t feel that way. Nor did I tell it to scare you. You have nothing to fear but fear itself; something we’ve been trying to teach Hyunjin for a long time…” He sighed.

You glanced around the worn-down barn. At the empty hay barrels, the decaying wood structures, the various puddles of rain seeping in. What were you going to do? It was a tough decision to make...and a lot of information to process.

Your eyes traveled down to the lone marking on your wrist, now appearing to have settled into something bolder. It was definitely a petal, or an ambrosial symbol of some sort. The Mark of the Rose… 

You swallowed hard. It would seem your destiny had led you here. Even if it was a sudden destiny, a fate you never asked for. If you were going to get your old life back, well, it looked like you were going to have to take a detour. “I think...I’m going to do what I have to.”

At the other side of the barn, Seungmin blinked, remaining ever calm and collected since the moment you first met him. Jeongin, on the other hand, bore his eyes into you as if waiting to hear the climax of the story. “And what’s that?” Seungmin asked.

You stood, placing Felix on your shoulder. “You’ll see. Just watch me.”

| End Act One ❧

ღ Stray Kids M.List | M.List ღ

 .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。 .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

[itsthewritergal]

Fun Sized- G.W x reader

this is horrifically written, enjoy lol! :) 

George knew his girlfriend was insecure about her height. She didn’t know that he knew, but he did. He had noticed how she always wore high heeled boots around him, around everyone. Nobody had ever seen her without them on. Y/N didn’t think anyone had noticed, she had started wearing high heels when she was in her second year when everyone else started growing around her. Nobody even remembered how short she was before hand. Dating George hadn’t help her insecurities, she always felt as though she looked much younger than George despite them being the same age. She also laughed off the constant teasing from Fred but didn’t admit how hard it really it her.

She pulled on her boots and walked out of her dorm to where George waited at the bottom of the stairs ready to go to Breakfast with her, he grinned as soon as he saw her.

“Morning love” He smiled happily wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the Great Hall “How are you feeling today?” He asked

‘I’m good thanks, I thought we could go to Hogsmede today?” She suggested

“Sounds good to me, fancy walking?” George suggested

“Of course!” She grinned not admitting that her feet hurt from wearing her heels all week,

——-

Y/N sat with Fred and George in the Three Broomsticks drinking a butterbeer, the two boys were talking about ways to get back at Snape for putting them into detention last night. She listened intently as Fred rattled off ideas.

“What do you think shorty?” Fred asked turning to Y/N, who grimaced at the nickname, it had stuck since first year and she hated it

“I think getting Peeves to help would be best, that way he can’t blame you” She smiled taking another sip

“That is why we’re friends with you” Fred grinned at her,

Y/N spent the rest of the day wandering around Hogsmede with the twins, her feet ached on the walk home but she didn’t let on, knowing that George would just tell her to take them off.

——-

Y/N was watching as Fred and George threw snowballs at each other, she wasn’t looking where she was going when she tripped over on a stone which she didn’t see. She heard a crack and a pain shot up her leg. George immediately stopped and turned his attention to his Girlfriend who was sitting on the snowy ground trying not to cry. George rushed over with Fred and sat himself next to her.

“Where does it hurt?” He asked quickly running his eyes over her

“My leg” she cried slightly

“Oh darling” He sighed looking at her leg which was twisted the wrong way round “You’re going to hate me but I’m taking you to Madame Pomfrey” George said knowing how much Y/N hated the hospital wing

“no George I’ll be fine” She sighed attempting to get up

“I’m not arguing Y/N” George said picking her up in his arms, Fred trailed behind them all the way up to Hogwarts,

George constantly checked if Y/N was in pain, and asked if she was okay. Y/N felt ridiculous if she was being honest, she caught every single look that people gave her as George walked through the halls, George whispered calming words to her once he felt her tense up.

——

“Oh Y/N what’s happened?” Madame Pomfrey said as George set her down on the bed

“I tripped over” She said quietly

“I think she’s broken her leg” George instructed as he stood next to Y/N holding her hand

“Right, Mr Weasley I’m going to have to ask you to step away just while I sort her out” madame Pomfrey said

George stepped back reluctantly while Madame Pomfrey poked and prodded her leg. Y/N winced every time, sending death glares to George for bringing her in here. Y/N was even more upset when Madame Pomfrey had confirmed that she had broken her leg.  George was reluctant when Madame Pomfrey asked him to leave, but after some persuading from Y/N he did as he was told.

———

It had been a few hours of George waiting in the Common Room, Y/N had told him to leave the hospital wing and get some sleep. Truth be told Y/N didn’t want George there when she got her crutches as she knew that Madame Pomfrey wouldn’t let her wear her heels around anymore. George knew that Y/N didn’t want him there, he could sense that she was getting grumpy so he opted to leave. He paced up and down whilst Fred and Lee were laughing at a few first years “You’re giving me a headache” Fred laughed “Sit down, it’s just a broken leg”

“It might just be a broken leg but I’m worried about her. Why didn’t she want me to stay?”

“Because she knows it isn’t a big deal” Fred said with a teasing smile

“I just don’t understand why she wouldn’t want me there” George huffed

“Sit down, she’ll be fine” Fred said patting the seat next to him.

George sat down with a huff. Watching the fire in front of him. He barely noticed Fred and Lee going to bed, his mind filled with worry

Y/N snuck in quietly into the Common Room, which proved difficult on her crutches. She had hoped desperately that George wouldn’t be waiting for her, but once she saw his mop of ginger hair on the sofa she sighed quietly. George turned around instantly as took in Y/N’s appearance, she was only in her socks as George had to pause for a second to look at her.

“How’s your leg?” He asked noticing her frown

“Fine” she muttered upset with herself that she hadn’t argued more with Madame Pomfrey about her shoes

“What’s wrong?” George asked picking up on the tension

“I feel like an idiot” She said honestly knowing that George was always able to read her well

“Why?” he asked sitting down on the sofa waiting for Y/N to follow him, she curled herself up next to his side

“Because I have to wear flats for the next six weeks” She said sadly, feeling increasingly insecure as the words came out her mouth

“So?” George said trying not to mention her insecurities

“You wouldn't understand” She huffed leaning herself further on him and stretching her leg out “Is this about your height?” George asked, he had his answer by Y/N not replying “You know I hate it when you wear heels?” He said

“You do?” Y/N asked in surprise thinking that he hadn’t noticed

“Yeah, I do” he laughed “I love being taller than you, makes me feel like I can protect you more with everything going on” He said “and I love using you as an arm rest” he chuckled

“You’re being serious?” She asked

“Of course love”

——

Y/N hobbled her way into the Great Hall the next morning with George next to her carrying her books. Fred laughed as she sat down

“You’ve shrunk” He grinned “I always knew you were short but not this short” He laughed

“Watch it Weasley” Y/N snapped, George placed an arm loosely around her shoulders comfortingly, her insecurity growling slightly

“She’s not short she’s fun sized” George chuckled placing a kiss on her cheek.

Taglist

@whitewineandpizzapuffs

[ssiriussly]

who: open when: 31 august where: the three broomsticks

There was never a question for Sirius, which party he was going to. The very word mixer sent unpleasant shivers down his spine. He wasn’t completely sold on the idea of a memorial either, but at least that had some potential once people started getting drunk. He may or may not have shrunk his record player and a few albums and slipped them in his jacket pockets for later, even. They’d have to see how things went.

For now, he wandered through the party, nursing a rum-spiked butterbeer and looking for familiar faces he hadn’t seen since the spring. And a few he had seen over the summer. He spotted to someone and instantly sidled up next to them, his lips turning up in a warm smirk. “Hey there! It’s been a bit. How was your holiday?”

[thealmightyemprex]

OK I need to settle this @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland ,you both requested REturn to Oz ,and both gave me questions that I want to answer .....This has put me in a pickle for how I am gonna handle this so I have decided this

IF two people pick the same movie on Requests AND both ask me questions .Two things happen

1.The picked movie is a gold star film,I plan to cover it soon ,it shall be covered

2.Since I am gonna cover the film any way,you two get an extra film request each .Dont pick the same movie

Choices:

20000 Leagues Under the Sea

Pirates of the Carribian Curse of the Black Pearl

Something Wicked this Way Comes

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Old Yeller

Hocus Pocus

Ernest Scared Stupid

Watcher in the Woods

Count of Monte Cristo

DAvy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier

Darby O Gill and the Little People

Swiss Family Robinson

Babes In Toyland

That Darn Cat

The Love Bug

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

The Black Hole

Tron

Flight of the Navigator

Honey I shrunk the Kid

Honey I Blew Up the Kid

Homeward Bound the Incredible Journey

The Adventures of Huck Finn

James and the Giant Peach

101 Dalmatians

Mighty Joe Young

Holes

The Haunted Mansion

[poisonously-alluring-sev]

Snape One Shots ~ Gothic Lust {Continued}

Summary: Emily is one of the more popular students at Hogwarts, who also happens to be a goth, and even though most people like to obsess over her and want to date her, she has never let any of the students at Hogwarts date her. Children of all ages she didn’t like so when a dark and mysterious MAN who matches her grumpy and dark aesthetic comes along she can’t help, but be curious.

Pairing: Snape x Female OC

Warnings: Swearing

Time: Two years before Harry graduates

Word Count: 5100

Recommended Song: My Oh My by Camilla Cabello

Main Character: Emily Jones; 20; DOB: Dec 16th, 1969 (Sagittarius); American; Caucasian; Slytherin; Pure Blood; 5'5; light skin; dark brown hair with green tips; green/gray eyes

Being in my dorm alone for a while was starting to make me feel hyper lonely and was really starting to get to me so I decided that maybe if I went to the common room and read a book, it might be better. With all of the thoughts running through my head of the past day, my mind was very clouded. I took down just a basic muggle fantasy book and thought maybe reading something that wasn't about spells or potions would calm my head. After a while listening to the fire crackling and hearing the faint voices of other students in the nearby dorms was a very nice environment to focus in and now I was annoyed that I didn't grab a spellbook instead. While reading my mind wandered a bit remembering Snape's voice in my head when he was asking if I was alright. I remembered his face when he caught me when I fell from the ladder. It was very cheesy and cliche, but I truly was kind of lost in thought about him. The feeling of his hands against my skin, this is something I've never experienced before considering I refused to get into any relationship. now, however, I feel like maybe I should open myself up and try something new, I was also pretty bitter and seemed to follow in my parent's footsteps. I also didn't want to end up like them in an arranged marriage so I guess I should be trying to get a boyfriend every now and then.

After a little longer, I decided to head back to my dorm and go to bed since I was probably going to sleep a lot after today and I will probably spend most of the day in my dorm or in the dungeon hallways. I went and took a light shower, braided my hair so when I woke up it would be wavy and got into my pj's. Sitting down on my bed about to climb in and heard a ticking on my window, I looked up and saw Snape's owl staring back at me. I smiled at the sight of his bird, but as soon as I went to grab the letter that he held in his feet he bit me. I groaned out in pain, snatched the letter and went to the bathroom to clean my hand. After covering it up and climbing into bed I opened the letter and it read,

Jones,

I feel like it might be time to tell you what was written that the first letter I sent to you before Dumbledore took it. I also would like to talk more to you about what had happened to today along with teaching you more about potions.

Sincerely,

SS.

PS,

I would like my cloak back the next time we meet.

I was happy to be hearing from him again, but without seeing his face or hearing his voice, I wasn't sure if he was being sweet or not, at least until the end. I laughed to myself.

"He's never getting that cloak back." I closed to letter back into the envelope and laid my head down to fall asleep. The next morning I woke up to the sun on my face, making me angry because I didn't feel ready to wake up just yet, but then a figure stepped in front of the window. I hadn't moved or made any noise yet so I could've just pretended to be asleep, but I wasn't that smart. I recoiled back pulling the blanket up to my chest as if it was protecting me. I looked straight at the person and was immediately relaxed when I noticed it was just Snape. He was looking out the window until I freaked out. I sighed and said to him,

"Jesus, can a girl not get any privacy here?' He smiled gently and replied with,

"Hey, I'm not wreaking the place, plus I thought I would be welcome here."

"Oh, yes you are, 100%, I just was not ready to wake up with someone standing around in my room." He took a seat down in one of the chairs in the room as I sat up completely, dropping the blanket and giving him a questioning look before asking,

"What are you doing here, may I ask?" He moved forward in the seat and said,

"You left something of yours in my classroom last night." I tossed the book onto my bed and I gave him a 'well what else was I supposed to do?' face and he just smiled back at me.

"Well," he said as he stood up from the chair, "I should probably get going seeing as you need to get dressed and whatnot." I gave him, yet again, another confused look to which he rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him, but before it shut completely I shouted at him saying,

"Wait!" The door stopped and I stood up from my bed basically prancing to the door. He opened it all the way and said,

"Yes?" I had a bit of momentum at this point and slowing down didn't seem like a good option so I throw myself into his arms wrapping my hands around his neck so he could catch me. He stepped back a little surprised then when I pulled my head out of his shoulder he looked at me for a moment, before I closed the distance between us, smiling as I moved my lips onto his. He didn' smiled back into the kiss, but it did kiss back to he clearly wasn't upset with me or anything or came to yell at me about making out with him earlier so this was a plus. I pulled away after a bit smiling like an idiot and catch Snape admiring my face.

"You know," he rested his hands on my waist as I stopped standing on my toes, "I think tonight would be good to finish another potion." I nodded in response.

"I think so too, Snape."

"Oh, yea and call me Severus, all that professional shit gets boring. I chuckled at his joke which, in return made him grin. After that, he left my side and went on with whatever he was doing before he decided to pay me a visit. I, on the other hand, was reading up a bit more on the book Dumbledore gave me as I wasn't able to learn anything from it before, but maybe now that I knew what was going on inside Severus' head I would be able to focus.

Through the first few hours of being awake, I seemed to put myself into some kind of trance that kept me focused on the task at hand and I was getting pretty good at learning a couple of new skills from Dumbledore's book. However, I was getting bored and decided that I should pick a potion I wanted to learn about later tonight if Severus would give me the option to choose. After reading up on a couple of strange potions I thought it might be a good time to take a walk either around the grounds or maybe find myself at Hogsmeade. I threw on a long black, trench coat and made my rounds through the school until I came up to the main entrance to where I would be going next. It was a little chilly outside and it did look like it was about to rain, so I decided to head to Hogsmeade, I could get some food there at least since I missed breakfast by a long shot, and I could also maybe buy something else in one of the other stores nearby. I went to the three broomsticks and snacked on a sandwich and sipped on some tea until I got bored of listening in on some old people gossip. I hopped out into the street again just slowly making my way through the little town noticing things I didn't before like the new sign outside of Zonko's or the freshly cleaned doorsteps leading up to Honeydukes, I can only imagine how happy the store owners are now that most of the students are gone for the holidays.

I stepped up to the nice little store called Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop to see if they had any cool-looking quills and such. After about 20 minutes of browsing and wondering if the owner was dead or not as he slept in his seat, I decided to buy more ink and a new white quill. At that time I was honestly done staying in the cold and was ready to take the hilly walk back to Hogwarts, but before I could something seemed to pull me towards another shop. Almost immediately I found myself browsing the items on the shelves of Gladrags Wizardwear. I normally get all of my clothes from family, but occasionally I'll go out and buy something they probably would forget about. I found some nice Slytherin style pants and a jacket that was still in my range of style that I think anyone would appreciate along with some nice perfume that smelled like roses and firewood. Weird combination I know, but it was worth it. I also got a little something for Severus, not really because I felt bad that he got me something and I didn't get him anything, but that's totally the reason. It was a nice light cologne that smelled like pine needles and wine, and I honestly was confused by a couple of other kinds too. Like how do they get the smell of old books or the ocean into a bottle? I bought my items, pulled out a small carry bag that I keep shrunk in my pocket in case I impulse buy, and started to make my way back to Hogwarts Where nothing was really interesting.

I told the painting our house password and as soon as I walked in it seemed like everyone that stayed back was in the common room. I was pulled aside by another seventh year who asked me to join their party. It wasn't anything like the party we had before everyone left, but we still had booze and some music. I told them sure as I had nothing better to do and dropped my stuff off at my dorm. Before I left I changed my clothes and remembered that Severus basically threw my potion book at me earlier, making me feel kind of nostalgic even though it happened this morning. I put it back on my shelf and hopped down the stairs to see a couple of boys chugging bottles of booze and everyone else around them chanting and yelling at them to drink faster. I joined in by hopping onto a shelf to get a good view of the chaos that was slowly starting to happen and laughed when someone bumped into a girl who in return pushed back and happened to hit one of the boys downing alcohol causing him to lose and choke up a bit from breathing in some of the subsistence. I got past a glass which I downed pretty quickly but then decided to not get drunk as I would probably find myself alone here in about an hour or running through the halls like an idiot. I wasn't in the mood to be caught drunk, as McGonaggell would tell my parents, so I just sipped on my next drink and enjoyed watching everyone else slowly bring upon the apocalypse.

After a couple of laughs and such to make the day feel less boring I was about to get down from the shelf and maybe sneak into the library and search through the restricted section, but before I could a brawl started with a couple of boys and Murphy. Not surprised as I was I stayed up there and watched the scene play out. The boys that were fighting actually knew what they were doing so things were pretty interesting, mainly the blood that started to flow, until a younger student came into the common room followed by McGonaggell and Severus. I groaned out loud as the fun was over and the kid that got them seemed to be traumatized as if he had never seen a basic brawl before. Severus pulled the boys apart as McGonaggell yelled at them and then turned to everyone else for drinking underage until she turned to me who was trying not to hold in a laugh as the boys looked so guilty.

"What is it you're doing up there Ms. Jones?"

"Oh, nothing, just watching the show." She frowned at me as she walked towards me and everyone was watching us probably thinking I was going to jump at her or something.

"And as a prefect, you are following your jobs are you?"

"On a daily basis ma'am."

"And this 'show' you watched, it wasn't breaking any school rules?" She raised an eyebrow at me as I sighed and told her very calmly.

"Come on professor, a little fight has to happen sometime, how else are we going to get our anger out, turn each other into frogs and then never be able to turn each other back?" She crossed her arms and in her way glared at me, she then turned around and told the boys to go to the hospital wing then immediately go to the kitchens after. Severus stood there as McGonaggell followed them out and before she left she said to me,

"Prefects can also get detention too Ms. Jones." I swore under my breath and hopped down off the shelf and started to mock her after she left. Then Severus filled the room with his voice explaining what kind of stuff we would have to do once classes started again, like cleaning the pots from the kitchens, or sweeping the floor in potions every day after class. Everyone moaned, but he didn't care and before he left he just looked at me for a second which then made me say,

"If you're thinking about making me class the whole class, I won't do it." He scoffed and walked away. I could tell that he wanted to say something back, but obviously it wouldn't be a good time to say anything else right now. I told everyone else that I would steal some potions from Pomfrey for the drunk when the hangover started and they all thanked me. It's funny really, I didn't even do anything and yet that was why I got into trouble. I made my way back up to my room, hopped on my broom and made my way to the windows outside of the hospital wing hoping that when I got there, Pomfrey would be busy with the boys who had black eyes, and cut-up's knuckles.

*** Hours Later ***

I sat at the Slytherin table slowly eating my food with my head in my hand, clearly lost in thought or just not in a good mood. A student next to me was laughing with her friends until she noticed me and asked me,

"Hey, Joney, you alright?" I shrugged my shoulders as I didn't really know what was wrong with me since today wasn't a horrible day, but I was just feeling weird.

"Detention boring you?"

"Probably." She went back to her laughing friends as I just watched my food and slowly raised it to my mouth. I listened to their conversation until it turned into heavy gossip and I thought, maybe if I tried hard enough I could focus my mind onto Severus and chat with him in my head. I thought about him and replied his voice in my head from when he first pushed into my mind and repeated his name over and over again, after about like five minutes of trying different things my mind kind of changed and everything seem to be a lot quieter around me like everything was muffled. I glanced up at the teachers' table to see Severus glance at me. I didn't know if it had worked so I asked,

"Severus?" A couple of seconds passed.

"Yes, Jones?" I tried to hide my smile at the fact that I actually managed to do it and then I heard Severus say something else,

"Is there something you want, I can't keep the connection going forever." My smile dropped, I thought I had managed to reach him, well maybe I did, it might not have been strong, but I got his attention. I told him through my thoughts,

"It's just really boring over here, I wanted to talk to someone who didn't need gossip to be the topic of the day."

"I thought that's what all popular people enjoyed talking about." I chuckled lightly getting a couple of weird looks from a few girls around me. Not really paying any attention to them I responded to him saying,

"I normally like to listen to it, but it gets boring after a while. Plus you're a lot more interesting than them." I glanced back up to him and saw him kind of hiding his face from me. Was he blushing? Oh god, I hope he is. I smiled myself and then said to him,

"Sorry, that was very cliche. We should probably get back to eating, talk to you later." I took my gaze away from him and broke the connection. I focused on my food and tried not to look up at the teachers' table. I had a feeling that even though he seemed to be affected by it, it dawned on me that he definitely doesn't get compliments at all and probably doesn't let people in his life. Once I finished I stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, I decided to just walk around until detention trying to avoid going straight to the potions class. Severus was probably feeling pretty awkward at the moment and was probably going to cut the connection anyway, and I think that since it was me who did it, it might've made it less awkward. Soon I had circled the whole castle a few times and decided I should probably head downstairs to see if Severus was actually going to give me something to do or if we would just lead each other on and make out again, and honestly, I was kind of hoping for the second option. I knocked on the door and heard him tell me to come in. I slowly opened the door and gave him a little smile once he looked up from his papers. I closed the door with my back as I leaned on it and slowly made my way up to him as he went back to the papers covering his desk. I stopped in front of the desk and as I swayed back and forth I asked him,

"Soooo, what are we doing tonight?" Not looking up from his work he told me.

"Well since I didn't give you the detention, you'll be cleaning the desks for me as the first years didn't bother doing it before they left." I looked over at the tables and groaned out loud.

"Oh come on, the mess has hardened by now, it'll be impossible to clean it, unless..." I pulled out my wand and was about to cast a cleaning spell, but Severus knocked it out of my hand with his own spell and told me.

"You'll be doing it by hand."

"What!?" He just kept a straight face as I reacted this way making it hard to tell if he was fucking with me or if he really wanted me to do it. I crossed my arms and told him,

"You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking."

"It wasn't my idea to give you detention, plus you smelled of alcohol, I bet Mivera wanted to yell at you for that but thought that detention was good enough.

"I guess it's good that she stills thinks I hate you," I grinned at him as he glared at me, I crossed my arms and grabbed the things he had for me on his desk frowning at them and said,

"because I find this very entertaining." Giving him another grin as I walked over to the first desk. He huffed and went back to his work as I tried not to throw myself across the room when I scraped the tables, it was like I was chopping wood with a needle, it wasn't working. After I got one table done, he was still working on stuff and I ended up getting so sick of basically falling over as I put so much pressure on the stupid thing that I said aloud,

"I'm gonna kill McGonaggell for this." Then at the moment where I wasn't paying attention, I moved my hand to maybe make it easier but just ended up cutting my hand open. I cried in pain as it wasn't a cut it was a full-on wound that started to bleed a lot. I sucked in a heavy breath and looked over to Severus who didn't even look up. I walked over to his desk and shoved my hand into his view to which he immediately freaked out and jumped to my side of the desk and put a cloth on it to stop the bleeding. I was being very bold with him as I was pissed he made me do work and now I was injured badly. As he put more pressure on it pain shot through my hand and I cried out saying,

"Jeez stop squeezing it hurts!"

"Do you want it to keep bleeding?"

"I wouldn't be bleeding if you didn't make me do work." He huffed again and got a new cloth as the one he used before was covered in blood. He grabbed me by my shoulder, threw the cloth at me and started to walk away saying,

"Let's get you to Pomfrey." I sighed and wrapped the cloth around my hand slowly which seemed to make him impatient and look like he was going to yell at me to hurry up, but stopped when he remembered I was hurt and probably wanted me to be careful with myself. Walking to the hospital was quiet and hard as Severus basically ran down the halls as I followed and a couple of times I caught myself squeezing too hard making it hurt and bleed more. Once we got there Pomfrey was cleaning are table and sighed when I entered behind Snape. She walked over to me and said, clearly not wanting to give me another potion if I was drunk, but when she saw the bloody cloth her nursing kicked in. She had me unwrap the cloth and she poured some kind of cleaning subsistence on the wound that stung a lot until I couldn't feel any more pain and she said to me,

"I'm going to have to stitch it so you might want to look away." I watched her stop the bleeding and get ready to stitch it shut and honestly I wasn't really scared about watching the stitching it never phased me before. As she weaved the thread through my skin I noticed that Severus was still standing next to me and was watching Pomfrey's every move, like he was waiting for her to hurt me which, honestly, I doubt would ever happen. Then I thought of something, why didn't he just heal my hand like last time? He literally healed my broken wrist in seconds, couldn't he heal a wound? I stopped questioning it when I started to feel really sore and I felt a sharp pain in my hand which made me recoil away from Pomfrey. She stopped and looked up at me, Severus stepped a bit closer to me, but I shooed him away.

"Sorry about that, I guess the potion wore off, here, drink this, it'll keep the pain away for the rest of the day." Downing the potion I noticed Severus staring at me and not the job PomPom was finishing up. I glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow he was acting pretty strange since I showed up in his class and honestly I would say that I shouldn't worry about it since he was probably just making sure he didn't have an accident on his hands that he would have to take care of with Dumbledore. He raised his own eyebrow at me and Pomfrey gave me a couple of things, but before we could leave Pomfrey said to Severus,

"I don't know what you have your students doing in detention, but clearly it's dangerous." He waved her off as we left the room and as we walked through the halls I wasn't sure if I was still going to clean the classroom so I asked,

"So, do I still need you to clean your desks?" He quickly told me no and kept walking, since we were basically going to the same place I followed him through the halls and even though keeping up with him meant me running behind him, I still managed to stay relatively close by. As we walked neither of us said a thing to each other, but it wasn't horrible, I was still curious as to why he reacted the way he did before. Like he was going to protect me from the stitches. Once we reached the hallway I opened the painting and before I went inside I shout at him,

"Goodnight, I guess." He turned around and said back to me,

"Goodnight, Emily." I smiled at him as he walked down the rest of the hallway. Feeling a lot better, and no longer in pain, I jumped up the stairs to my dorm and landed on my bed. Feeling happy that he called me by my first name for the first time, I got ready for bed and as I rid myself of my clothes I realized that I hadn't gotten my wand back from my detention. Knowing that and not wanting to walk all the way to class and or having to search the school for it and the person who knows where it is, I decided to go right now. Not even changing out of my pj's, I ran through the common room jumping over the couches. Sneaking through the dark halls and trying not to get caught wasn't easy with the fear that he wouldn't give me my wand back, so hiding from Flich didn't really work at first, but with my legs carrying me quickly away from him, I managed to getaway. I had made it to his classroom and burst through the door without even knocking making him wonder what the hell is wrong with me. He stood up and crossed his arms as I bent down to rest my hands on my knees to catch my breath.

"Forgot... my wand." I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes as I calmed down. Severus picked up my wand from in his desk drawer and came over to hand it to me. As I stood up he was right there in front of me and once I was standing up straight I was basically face to face with him with only a few inches between us. I gently took my wand from his hand but letting it linger on his skin. I kept eye contact with him as I did it and before I could pull my hand away he grabbed it and pulled me into him crashing our lips together. Almost right away my hands wrapped around his neck and pulled on his hair as he grabbed me violently by the hips making me lean against him. I smiled into the kiss as he didn't seem very happy today and now I know that he wasn't upset with me. I pulled on his hair a little more and got a deep growl out of it which honestly turned me on hearing that deep growl coming from his throat. I moaned against his lips and he placed his hand underneath my ass picking me up without any effort. I laughed when our lips broke connection for a second to breathe. He placed me on his desk and pushed his ways through my legs even though I tried to fight it. He pulled me onto the edge of the desk by my waist and put his hands back onto my face bringing me closer to him just by a bit. He then grinds up against me getting another moan out of me and kissing my neck causing me to lose track of time. I placed my hands on his shoulders and after a while of grinding and hair-pulling, we needed to breathe so we pulled apart and mixed our breath together.

I closed my eyes and rested my head on his. Severus placed his hands around my waist and hugged me towards him. We stayed like that for a few seconds without talking until I chimed in and said,

"You really do know how to treat a woman don't you?" He chuckled at my comment and I grinned at him since I never saw him smile before let alone a laugh, so I took it in stride. I hugged my arms around him and let out a long sigh, opening my eyes again and seeing him already admiring me. Blushing like an idiot he kissed my gently not like the heavy make-out section we just had. I moved the stray pieces of hair out of his face and gave him a smile, which in return earned me another kiss. For the rest of the next, we just chatted a bit about some random stuff and I would sometimes complaint him and that would make Severus break eye contact with me. I then thought that it was probably a good idea to head back to my dorm and as to not get in trouble Severus walked me back to the common room where he left me as soon as it opened. Before I walked in I told him t wait and looked around to make sure that nobody else was here. Then I pulled on his shirt bringing his face down to my level to give him one last kiss before I went to bed. Once we pulled apart he said goodbye and for the rest of the night I let my grungy, grumpy facade disappear and wouldn't stop thinking about Severus and how his hands felt on my waist and face.

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Update! Chapter 32 - Constriction

Excerpt:

"We need to go, don't we?" Draco continued and Hermione could only nod, hoping that he wouldn't push her on why just then.

Thankfully, he only hummed and pressed a quick kiss to her temple, turning a glare on Ron who spluttered a cough from the corner.

"I'll encourage Aunt Andromeda to bring this to a close. I do need to visit Scrivenshaft's for some more ink after all, but then I'm sure we can all head home."

"Thank you," she leant into him and took the sugarquill he handed her between her lips.

Draco cleared his throat and went back to the others with a pink flush on his high cheekbones and, not two minutes later, the robes had been bought or placed back on their racks, bags shrunk, and everyone was filing out the door.

Once the simple visit to Shrivenshaft's was complete, Hermione heard Draco persuade everyone that the weather was just getting too bad for them to remain in Hogsmeade much longer, even Harry and Ron who had hoped for a quick drink in the Three Broomsticks. She smirked at that protest but otherwise kept her eyes scanning for potential threats.

They trudged through the rain with various impervious' cast on themselves, down the lane back to Hogwarts, until Andromeda apologised and declared that she'd rather just get Teddy back to the cottage and out of the miserable weather. She hugged everyone and eventually reached Hermione and Draco at the back of their group.

"It was wonderful to see you, Hermione. And you, Draco," she hugged them both in turn, allowing Teddy to pat their cheeks and turn his hair a dark brown with individual platinum curls, before stepping away. "Just make sure she tells you what's bothering her if she won't tell anyone else. You're not as subtle as us Slytherins, Hermione."

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